After he hadnt died
by Murmeltierchen
Summary: Sherlock and Molly want to leave for europe and then something happens leaving Molly to return without him but with a little bit more than she had thought. Pairing will change in later chapters. I just loved doing it. Also smut, be aware! R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

_Sooooooooooo, dear readers. I FINALLY managed to get Sherlock into my fics. FINALLY. After the third about Mycroft has been published._

_It starts where the series 2 closes, with Sherlock standing far away from John on the graveyard._

_Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this. I have a try on my first multi-chapter. I hope I will be able to handle the upload procedures. I have a hard time with that. I thank my reviewers who somehow even liked my Tango story even though I didn`t *scratcheshead*. Please be nice about this one. I had a tough time in getting it done. I was inspired by the new soundtrack to series two.  
>Enjoy!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>After he hadn`t died<strong>

"We need to go." Said Molly from behind. He turned and walked back to her. He was careful not to look into her eyes. He knew there were emotions in his and he did not want her to see them again. But just like in the lab she already had seen.  
>"He will get better. Don`t worry." She tried and failed to reassure him. They went to the car that they had parked carfully out of the main view.<p>

He just nodded and dropped on the backseat where he laid down hiding from his brothers ever-seeing eye and Moriartys associates. He lay there staring at the ceiling, thinking about what John had said to his grave stone. He seriously had underestimated John Watson`s intelligence. His only friend knew that he could not have died the way he did.

It just wasn`t who he was.

Molly drove them back to her flat. Before leaving the car he turned up his coats collar and put the sports cap back on and slid back into the building without being noticed by anybody.

It had taken them 5 days to bury him or rather what the thought was him.

He was ready to climb the walls by now. Molly had a nice homy flat with loads of books in it. Even some he hadn`t read before. But after the third he just wanted to get out.

Molly had given him a chance to keep his life and after that she had given him space to adjust to the changes. He now occupied her spare bedroom, used her towels and her body wash even though she had offered to buy him some for men.

He had just said: "No. It`s alright." He even managed to only sound slightly annoyed. Most of his time he had spend in her sitting room chair. It was an old one with leather and a cushion with Arabic ornaments. In the morning he would check for police reports on his Blackberry. A newer model she had gotten him. His old one was left in the hands of the police. In the afternoon he would sit and go through all the papers she had gotten for him. He had given her a list.

After she had brought him home, after the fall, he had slept 48 hours straight before walking up to her in the kitchen while she made dinner, startling her, to give her some details about the upcoming week. He did not intend to stay for long. Only till after his funeral.

First she had to call his brother, the only person who knew besides her that he was till among the living. Mycroft had provided him with a large number of clothes similar to his own. Also a new untraceable laptop so he could keep doing his research. And last but not least a new passport and a new identity with a good filled bank account.

Molly had brought all those things home from St. Barts because Mycroft could not be seen entering her flat. She had found all the bags in her office and had brought home one by one. Always in a bag from a different brand than the day before. He actually had commented on that.

"Good, you take precautions." Maybe he had underestimated her too.

All of his new belongings had been put in his room. Except for the laptop which he kept in the living room.

When Molly was asleep he would dress in a hooded jumper and sneak out just for an hour or two.

It was his personal time and he knew that if Molly found out she would worry about him and be upset.

When Molly reached her flat now, he had already shed his coat and scarf and sat in "his" chair typing on his laptop.

"Would you like some tea or coffee?" She asked and headed for the kitchen.

Only now that she spoke to him did he realize that she was there.  
>He looked at the time. 5 o'clock. Tea time.<br>"Earl grey, two sugars please." He called after her.  
>In the kitchen Molly started preparing and realized that he took his tea like his coffee. Good she would be able to remember that. Toby, her cat sat beside her on the kitchen floor, eyes fixed at the door.<br>Ever since Sherlock had turned up in her rooms, Toby had hidden in a corner of the kitchen or under the sofa only to come out for food or whenever Sherlock was not in the room.

She dad feelings for Sherlock but she did not like her cat to be hissed at.  
>When Sherlock had leaned down to look at the cat for the first time, Toby had stared back and hissed, tail straight up. Sherlock had shown his teeth and hissed back at the much smaller creature and Toby had fled under the sofa.<p>

After leaning down to stroke the cat, Molly picked up the tray with the teapot and two mugs and went back to where Sherlock was sitting in deep thoughts.

"I have to leave." He said when she had settled on the sofa. She was about to pour tea into his cup but stopped halfway, staring at him.

"What? But … When?"

"Tomorrow if possible." He was still typing and not looking at her.

Her mind was racing.

`Why? Why now? Did she miss something? Had she done something wrong?´

"Oh please stop that!" He suddenly said out loud and shut off his computer,lying it on the floor.

"What did I do?" She was irritated.

"You were thinking. It`s annoying." He stopped and waited for her to pour in his tea.

She had still not moved and realized now her hand was shaking under the weight of the teapot.  
>She poured it in while adding milk.<br>Having finished she grabbed her mug just because she needed something to hold onto.

`Why was he leaving now? Was it even safe for him to go? There could still be some of Moriartys men out there.´

"I want you to come with m."

She dropped her mug and the tea spilled all over the rug.  
>"You want … me? … I … I mean -." She was panting.<p>

"MOLLY!" He shouted and she snapped her head around to him.

"Stop thinking! Do you want to come with me?" His cold eyes were staring right at her.

Her mind went blank except for one thought: `I want to go where he goes.´

"I think so … yes." she stammered and slapped a hand over her mouth.  
>"Good. Now … ." He jumped up and started to pace in circles.<p>

"We have the paper work. We have money. I am dead. You have to take leave before we can go. Something convincing must be the reason. We need a place to stay at least until we can leave the country. Maybe - ."  
>"LEAVE the country?" She squeaked in shock. This was progressing a little to fast for her liking. "But where would we go?"<br>"Somewhere were we can both function. Somewhere I can work and bot be recognized obviously. That leaves out Britain of course." He kept pacing.

She was sure, if his brain looked like a machine it would have been smoking by now.  
>He was calculating the facts. All of them. At the same time.<p>

He suddenly stopped. "Got it!"

He walked over to her in two steps.

"We leave after your shift end tomorrow. You will have a convincing story to tell your boss and colleagues. You will contact Mycroft tonight. Tell him that I want to leave. Tell him that I need to come home for one night and one night only." He blinked twice, calculating again. "We will stay only until our flight leaves. I think that`s it. Oh and tell my brother not to bother Josef with setting up fire in my room, I shall do that myself." He grabbed his phone from his pocket and started typing while still walking around.

"Josef? Who is Josef?"

"The butler." He stated while typing.

"You have a butler? Since when do you have a butler and, and what about John?" Her voice was shaking. This was not good.

He lowered his phone and shut his eyes. Obviously annoyed.

"I don`t have a butler but Mycroft, who lives at our family estate does and has been for as long as I can remember. I wasn`t referring to Baker Street, I obviously can`t go back there. NOW … "

He grabbed her hand and yanked her off the sofa. Pushing her towards her bedroom door.

" … go and pack. Only the important and absolutely necessary things."

She complied and dashed into her room, grabbing her suitcase from under her bed and started to throw in her most treasured possessions and rather practical clothes. `No dresses.´ she thought and put back her favorite green dress, feeling a little ache in her chest.

She started to think again.

`Why did I have to say yes? Because you are madly in love with this man and he asked you to. Damn. Anything could happen with Sherlock. Where are we going to end up?´

she continued grabbing her heavy boots and threw them into the case as well.

When she was sure that only her toothbrush was missing she sat down on her bed with a heavy sigh and grabbed her phone off the night stand. She dialed Mycrofts number and he answered immediately.

"Doctor Hooper, I take it my brother has decided to leave his current location."  
>She was about to ask how he knew but shut her mouth as soon as she had opened I. Of course he knew. He was his brother after all.<p>

"Yes. He told me to inform you that he wants to come home only for one night. He wants to leave here tomorrow at around six. Oh and he doesn`t want you to bother Josef with setting up fire in his room. He wants to do that himself." She heard him smile on the other end when he answered.  
>"Of course he does. Tell him that the mess he left has not been touched since he last graced us with a visit. The car will be there at six. I suppose he asked you to come along."<p>

Her eyebrows shot up. `How could he … never mind!´

"Yes he has and I … agreed."  
>"I figured as much. Then I shall see you soon. Good night."<br>"Good night." She said and the line went dead.  
>"She looked up and saw Sherlock standing on the door without his jacket and his sleeves rolled up. She nodded at him and he turned to get back to his own room.<p>

* * *

><p>Sooooooooo, what do you think? Any ideas about the characterization? something wrong? just review and tell me.<p>

eccentricpetal and fallonholmes and all those who have written me reviews before, I hope you will like what is giong to happen.

much love

Murmeltierchen


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, I hope you all liked the first part. This one will be more about Sherlock childhood home.  
>So, I hope you´ll enjoy and leave me some review! XD<em>

Chapter 2

The car had been exactly one minute early. While the driver had packed her suitcase and his duffel bag into the trunk she had looked at him, trying to find out what he hadn`t changed about his appearance. When she had come home at 4 o`clock after having lied to her boss about her mother being ill, she had found a total stranger sitting in Sherlock`s chair. She had been frozen to the spot and only relaxed when he opened his mouth and spoke in deep baritone:

"Oh please. It`s not like there is nothing familiar!" She inhaled deeply because she had stopped breathing.

"What have you done to your hair?" She asked in a high voice.

It was obvious that he had first of all cut it. His curls were gone. Instead he had straight, about one and a half inch long, blonde dyed hair.

"I needed to change." He said while looking at her over his fingers that were pressed together.

She slowly walked closer. He wore contact lenses that gave him light brown eyes and he had somehow manged to tan his skin to a little more colored. It wasn`t much, he couldn`t alter his bone structure after all, but it was enough to make him look very different.

And now he was sitting next to her while being driven through a darkening London. It took nearly an hour until they reached a huge metal gate off the main road at the suburbans of the large city. The car had not really slowed down when the gate already opened automatically. The car entered into a big green park with lots of trees. It looked more like a forest to her.

She had been staring out the window for almost two minutes when a house came in sight.

No. What she saw was in no way a house. It wasn`t even a mansion or manor. It was a palace. She counted not less than three floors and there was light in every window. But the most irritating thing was the tower with the flag of Britain on top of it. It all looked like a smaller version of Balmoral Castle.  
>What had she gotten herself into?<p>

Once the car stopped a butler opened the door for her. She looked at him, an older man with perfectly trimmed gray hair in a spotless livery. ´So this is Joseph.` She thought and took a page from the Holmes` rulebook and said:

""Thank you, Joseph." sending a small smile in his direction.  
>The butler raised an eyebrow in surprise and said in return:<p>

"You are welcome."

Sherlock had left the car and was now standing next to her adjusting his coat. He was looking at the building with a furrowed brow.

"Hello Joseph." He said without even glancing in the butlers direction.  
>After having closed the cars door the man bowed to Sherlock saying:<br>"Welcome home Mister Homes. Your brother is waiting for you and Miss Hooper in his study."

Sherlock smirked coldly.  
>"Well, some things never change."<p>

With wide steps he walked up to the house, leaving Molly to hustle after him.  
>Once through the thick oak door with coat of arms enclosed in it, they stepped into a huge entrance hall. The room was lit by a single, giant chandelier hanging from the also oak covered ceiling. She noticed the stair case leading up to the balcony that went around the complete first floor. Everything looked like it belonged into a museum. She was turning her head around from side to side, hoping to miss not a single thing about this place.<br>Sherlock had stepped up to a large door to their left and she followed him inside when he dashed into the room without slowing his pace.  
>The room was equally large. Every wall was covered with book shelves, the only exception was the window front opposite the door and the big marble fireplace with the tall painting over it.<p>

When entering the room one first saw a big wooden desk on the left covered with files neatly stacked into piles.

On the right side was the fireplace with two arm chairs with high backs and a small table between them.

In front of the window stood a large dinner table with 8 chairs around it.

Molly felt as if the time of centuries had been stacked into this on room. She was expecting to find a Lord in an expensive velvet robe, but sitting in one of those chairs, holding a tumbler with a golden liquid in it, wearing a three piece suit and looking at his brother with raised eyebrows was Mycroft Holmes in all his aristocratic glory.

Sherlock had walked over the thick antique rug and straight up to him while staring into the older mans eyes. Now that Sherlock wore his disguise, they only had the tall slim frame in common and Molly, while standing a bit away from the two, was wondering if Mycroft actually has recognized his brother. That question was answered right away.  
>"I would have thought you would select a more copper tone." He said.<br>"No time for smalltalk, brother. I take it everything has been taken care of?" Sherlock asked and turned around a bit to look around the room. Deliberately ignoring his brothers and her presence. "Yes of course. Two tickets to Paris. I hope you did refresh your french a bit." Mycroft remarked snidely.  
>"What makes you think my french needs any refreshing, mon frère?"<br>"Never mind that, do as you like." Mycroft shifted his attention from his brother, who now was looking out the thick glass window, to Molly.

"Good evening Doctor Hooper. I hope my brother has not made life hellish for you. I remember it hard to share a house with Sherlock, let alone a flat."  
>Molly took a step closer to the fireplace fighting to keep eye contact with the elder Holmes.<br>"I din`t mi … mind him staying. I invited him to stay as long as he needed to." She was proud of herself for getting that last part out without stammering and raised her head a bit.  
>He smiled cheekily. "Well, let`s get you settled then."<br>Mycroft placed the tumbler on the table and picked up a small silver bell. She watched him ring it and within seconds the door opened and Joseph entered.  
>"Yes, Sir?"<br>"Joseph, if you would please be so kind to show Miss Hooper to her room and I imagine that Sherlock is quite capable of finding his own. Thank you."  
>Mycroft hadn`t yet finished his sentence when Sherlock abruptly turned away from the window and walked out the door. Molly was left to follow Joseph.<br>Before leaving the room she stopped and turned to the older Holmes brother who was not paying attention to her, instead he was staring at the window like Sherlock had done with a rather odd look that she couldn`t quite identify. So when she spoke his head shot around.

"Thank you Mister Holmes. I am sure Sherlock is, in his own odd w … way, equally grateful." `Damn that little stammer!´ She thought and slapped herself inwardly.  
>Mycroft was looking at her with a blank expression obviously calculating how to respond and she saw a lot of Sherlock in the way he cocked his head a little to the side.<p>

"Have a good nights sleep, Doctor Hooper. You are going to need it. As far as I know Sherlock he will put you both through a lot in the next days."  
>He half-smiled and she thought herself dismissed.<br>Joseph was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, Sherlock nowhere to be seen.

Back in the study, Mycroft was back sipping his scotch while staring into the fire.  
>He thought about the reason why Sherlock had dragged the young doctor into this.<br>She had fulfilled her role as his keeper until he could leave the country. He seriously hoped his brother had not started to finally develop feelings for somebody. He had a feeling that something like that might end up in a very unpleasant way. He winced involuntarily.  
>She looked back to where she had been standing near the door, looking at him with kind warm brown eyes. Sherlock had obviously not told her about the role his brother had played in Moriartys game. Good, no need for her to know.<br>He knew his brother, he wasn`t one to go for kindness. He liked challenges and experiments and thrilling puzzles. `The Woman´ had been one which had been the only reason why Sherlock actually had not seen everything as clear as usual.  
>But Molly Hooper was no mystery to a man like Sherlock.<br>She was … normal.  
>To Sherlock that was dull.<br>To himself … well, dull, but also a little refreshing. He simply had to many mysteries and puzzles solved to really find them thrilling anymore.

`Well, we will see where this will end. A close watch over them will be required.´ He decided and downed the rest of his scotch.


	3. Chapter 3

_So, here we are again, for chapter 3. It centers more about Molly and what she does in the night before they leave for France.  
>I dedicate this chapter to xxL2xx and ecentricpetal! You guys just make my day!<em>

_Enjoy._

**Chapter 3**

Molly had been shown to a bright big bedroom with a kings size double bed and it actually had a vanity table next to the window. It was all very posh and looked expensive. Her luggage had been brought up and she started to sort out the things necessary for the night.  
>She found her toothbrush and brought it into the adjoining bathroom. The taps on the sink and the tub were made of something that looked like gold but after she had examined them closely decided that she didn`t want to know if any of it was real, it made her head spin with large figures.<br>She decided that a nice bath would certainly calm her nerves. She was still a little on edge from all the wealth she had seen and of course Mycroft, who had this superior authority and who made her only a little less uneasy than Sherlock did.  
>But she had been surprised that he had not objected her staying with Sherlock.<br>The hot water was running and made the room foggy and warm. She stripped off her clothes and climbed into the tub. It was heaven she thought and slowly leaned back.  
>While her body relaxed into the warmth she tried to analyze her situation, well tried was the right word.<br>She was currently lying in an over expensive bathtub at the Holmesian Family Estate with both Holmes brothers present and at least a dozen members of the house staff tending to their needs. Unless one of the two Holmes` were to come in now, this situation could not get more abnormal.  
>She had been smiling a little about her thoughts when a knock on the door made her yelp.<br>It took her a second to calm her breath.  
>"Who is it?" She was expecting Sherlock to stand on the other side of that door, demanding that she made him tea or something to eat, but instead there was a female voice asking in a very friendly way:<br>"My name is Mary, Miss Hooper. I am your maid for the duration of your stay. I wanted to ask if you require any assistance or if you desire anything at the moment."  
>Molly didn`t know what to say. She stared at the door.<br>`A maid? Me?´  
>Did she need anything? No, everything was just fine. Would she need anything later?<br>Maybe a nice cup of tea.

"Mary?" She called at the door because she had stayed quiet for some time.  
>"Yes Miss?"<br>"I would like a cup of tea if it`s not too much to ask. It helps me go to sleep."  
>"Of course Miss Hooper. Will that be all?"<br>"Yes that is all. Thank you very much. I`ll be out in a minute." She called at the door and started to wash the days happening off her body.  
>"You are welcome." Mary answered and Molly could hear her footsteps fading away.<br>When she left the bathroom then minutes later there was a beautiful porcelain cup of steaming hot tea standing on her vanity table. She had found a dressing gown that was a little to long for her and touched the floor and now took her cup and sat on the edge of the huge bed. It had a canopy made of heavy dark blur velvet that were tied to the bed posts with golden cords. She couldn`t believe that this was where Sherlock had been raised.  
>Sherlock who kept a skull on his mantelpiece and a bag of thumbs in his fridge and who tried to put a collection of severed tongues into her freezer for an experiment.<br>Mycroft looked like he would never live in anything else than a palace but Sherlock just didn`t care about those things. She had to admit that she liked that about Sherlock. He was not normal for his class. Not ordinary rich and posh and polished. He was elegant and refined but he never really cared about his surroundings.  
>She finished her cup and placed it on the nightstand.<br>She decided that it was time to put on her night clothes and quickly changed into her red and green tartan pajamas and then put the gown back on.  
>The gown was of a creamy white with a massive sash made of heavy silk. She liked it but knew that it was probably worth more than half of her wardrobe.<br>Grabbing her brush she straightened out her long light brown hair until it fanned out over her shoulders.  
>She had decided to return her cup to the kitchen herself and not bother to ring for Mary.<br>She picked up the cup and opened the door.  
>There was only dim light in the hallway and when she closed the door behind her it was almost completely dark. Only one small lamp burned about ten feet away from her.<br>`The kitchen must be somewhere downstairs no one would want food smell up here.´ She thought and turned right, to where she remembered the stairs.

She reached the balcony and looked around. On the other side was a door, similar to the one below. Heavy and made of rich dark wood. The only difference was the coat of armor that was hanging over it. The fact that this door was ajar and light was pouring out onto the dark planks made it possible for her to see where she was going when she walked down the stairs.  
>It was very quite. Not even the floor boards squeaked when she walked.<br>She was a bit frightened and instinctively wrapped the gown a little tighter around herself.  
>She reached the bottom of the stairs.<br>In front of her was now the door to the study she had seen earlier.  
>To her right was another door and to her left a third one that was open but dark.<br>She wasn`t sure which way to go but didn`t think the dark room would lead to the kitchen.  
>So she turned to the closed one. `Probably another parlor´ she thought and turned the door knob.<br>The door swung open and she found herself face to face with a middle aged woman in a maids uniform. They both shrieked in surprise jumping one step back.

"Oh, I … I … I am sooooo sorry. I … I wanted to return the cup." Molly stammered. She had obviously found the entry to the utility rooms.  
>"That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Miss Hooper." The woman smiled when she took the cup from Mollys hands and turned around. Behind her was a narrow hallway with doors left and right.<br>The woman turned to the first door on the right and Molly called after her:  
>"Are you Mary?"<br>She turns and nods.  
>"Yes I am. We spoke earlier."<br>Molly smiled at her and curiosity got the better of her.  
>"Do you mind if I come along?"<br>Mary raised her eyebrows in surprise and said:  
>"Oh … of course, come along, this way." She waved at Molly to follow her and opened the.<br>They stepped into a huge kitchen.  
>The only thing that looked new and very expensive was the big square oven in the middle of the room. The floor was made of black stone and the ceiling had brick arches. It looked like the kitchen out of Cinderella and it was warm and quite cozy. She liked it.<br>There were copper pans and pots hanging from a rail over the oven and they were reflecting the light all around.  
>Mary was putting the cup into a dishwasher on the other side of the oven and then walked back up to Moll.<br>"You have never been in a kitchen like this, have you?"  
>Molly shook her head. "No, I grew up in a flat with two bedrooms and a kitchen the size of a closet. But this is really big."<br>She looked around and Mary chuckled. "I grew up in a kitchen like this. I can not imagine having to work in anything smaller when there are others in there as well. There are two cooks on a rotating shift. They need room for preparing and cooking and the plates. But, where are my manors, would you like a late nights snack Miss Hooper? I am sure I could fix you something."  
>Molly didn`t know what to say, she never had a servant before, but she just wasn`t hungry at all.<br>" I am fine Mary and please call me Molly, I am not of such exquisite upbringing as Sherlock. I don`t think I could ever live in a house like this. I never had a maid either. I hope you`ll forgive me." She added after a second.  
>"Oh, it`s fine. I am not offended. My job description actually reads "Maid to the Lady of the House". As there is no Lady in this house, I am just a maid for Mister Holmes and his guests." Mary told her.<br>"I am glad. I have a request. I just thought about it and I may have to you in the morning. Sherlock insists on leaving as soon as possible and I would like to take some supplies with us. Some food and medicine - ."  
>"Don`t listen to her Mary, I will not let her slow us down because her luggage is to heavy!"<br>Out of nowhere Sherlock came rushing into the room.  
>There was a spiral staircase hidden in the corner of the room that Molly had not seen when she had some in.<br>"Sherlock … I think … we could … ." She started but he interrupted her.  
>"Yes, I know you do. But as I said, it`ll just slow us down." Sherlock opened a smaller door on the back of the kitchen. It was completely dark inside and Sherlock was immediately swallowed by the shadows.<br>Mary was standing next to her and they both flinched when a squeaking sound broke the silence.  
>"What was that?" Molly whispered.<br>"The gate to the wine cellar." They stared at the darkness behind the door waiting for Sherlock to reappear.  
>A moment later there was the sound of glass shattering and a curse echoed back to them. The squeaking happened again and three seconds later Sherlock stepped back into the light.<br>He was carrying a large jar in one hand and now closed the door with the other one.  
>She couldn`t see what was in it but Molly suspected from the color of the liquid she could see that it was one of his experiments.<br>He turned back to the stairs and disappeared.  
>"Was that - ?" Mary asked but from upstairs came a shout.<br>"Come along Molly, I require your pathological skills."  
>Molly opened her mouth to shout back but knew that he was probably already out of earshot.<br>While walking to the stairs she turned back to Mary.  
>"Thank you Mary, have a good night and I will talk to you about the supplies in the morning, when he isn`t near us."<br>"Thank you Miss Hoo – Molly. Have a good night too."

At the top of the stairs Molly was greeted by an open door. She was about to knock on it when Sherlock called from inside.  
>"Molly, come over here and have a look at this foot. In my opinion has the degree of cell degeneration been slowed down to almost zero but … " Sherlock turned when he didn`t hear her step closer.<br>That was because Molly was glued to the spot by what her eyes where taking in in Sherlock Holmes` childhood room.  
>Books, books and more books were covering the walls and there was an entire laboratory across from the door. Three different microscopes occupied the second lab table and glass jars holding strange object (probably human organs), glass holding a strange looking liquid that was boiling constantly and of course an antique set of surgical instruments that she had seen in a museum for medical history when she went to medical school.<br>There was a king size bed like the one in her room, but it was completely crumpled and she could see a black silk night gown lying on the floor in a pile.  
>It all looked like Sherlock. The only thing that showed that there had been a child living in here was a pencil painting that hang over the lab table. It was a very accurate drawing of the house, but it wasn`t as perfect as one would expect from Sherlock so it had to be one of his very early works. <p>

A computer that stood on the lab table suddenly made a chirpy noise and she snapped out of her daze. And she realized that she had been staring for nearly a minute and Sherlock had said nothing to make her uncomfortable.  
>"YES! I knew it. Oh, I knew it." Sherlock jumped up from the lab chair he had been sitting on and strode across the room to grab a book from the desk. He threw it on the table in front of her, thrusting his index finger onto a specific passage.<br>"What, what is it?" Molly stepped a little closer and looked along his long pale finger to the text.  
>"Potassium chloride!"<br>"What? Where?" She read a sentence about the poison he had just mentioned.  
>"In the pool. I took a sample 23 years ago." He pointed to the screen where the image of a blue liquid had been compared to something that looked like very old leather.<br>"Uncle Bartholomew didn`t drown. He was poisoned! By cousin Celestè! I knew it. Ha. Mycroft needs to hear this, but not now." He turned to her.  
>She had a little trouble to keep up with his fast paced thoughts. But somehow sensed that what he was about to say would be very important.<br>"I require your help." And she thought `Here we go.´  
>"It`s a rather..." he grimaced a little "delicate matter. But … " And he stared directly into her eyes, his blue gaze sharp like knifes, and then letting his eyes wander over her figure.<br>"I think you are the only person that can be trusted with this task."  
>"What do you need? What can I do?" She asked and tried to ban the slight shaking from her voice as she tried to read his expression the way he did hers, but she couldn`t see anything in his stern facade.<br>"What I require is you, in terms of being a female. I am in need of help to change a certain status that I find myself in."  
>He paused, waiting for her to get his hints.<br>Molly kept repeating his words in her head. `Female, change certain status.  
>Was he referring to …? Oh god, yes he was´, she could tell by the way he had his hands deep in his pants pockets.<br>He only did that when he was waiting for something or somebody. What else could he be waiting for than for her to her to get onto his train of thoughts without him actually pointing his intentions out.  
>`Oh damn.´<br>"I think ... I understand. Er …. You would like to … to …, well … -"  
>"Copulate!"<p>

_That`s it for chapter 3. Hope you all liked it. I am off now to go and get me some wallpapers that look like Sherlocks as I am moving in a couple of weeks.  
>Please R&amp;R. <em>


	4. Chapter 4

_OK. So I screwed up. BIG TIME!  
>I knew I shouldn`t have tempered with my Iphone. There is a bug in the software. It makes files appear even though the were deleted. Well, I had a solution to that but I somehow managed to screw it up. So a lot of my music looks as if it is there but it isn`t. And I can`t live and I can`t write without my music. So, what I did is get out my Ipod nano 6th generation, which I own since one year and have barely used it because I now own ths Iphone, well that is so going to change. The only thing that goes onto that Iphone from now on is three episodes of Sherlock and that`s it.<em>

_But this is not about my problems, it`s about Molly and Sherlock. And they finally get to … touch!  
>Thank you for all your lovely reviews! They make me hurry up writing. Sorry about this being so short, I think they are finally getting somewhere. ^^<em>

* * *

><p>The word echoed through her mind.<br>`Copulate.´  
>But somehow Molly wasn`t sure if he really had said it, because it was highly unlikely.<br>Sherlock Holmes did not speak of sex.  
>Well, technically he hadn`t but it was still something he didn`t talk about. Her mind tried to wrap itself arpund the thought but there was a question that came in the way of that and that question was:<br>"Why?"  
>She only realized that she had breathed the word out loud when Sherlock raised his eyebrows.<br>"Isn`t it obvious?" He looked at her expectantly, but when she showed no sign of understanding and only stared at him questioningly, he rolled his eyes and explained.  
>"I need to have this experience. There are people out there who could use the fact that I lack first hand knowledge against me."<br>It dawned to her.  
>He needed her to try something, to perform … "An experiment:" She said.<br>"Yes, exactly." Sherlock said and turned around himself, raising his hands.  
>"Now, Molly, yes or no? I just pointed the importance of this out to you. Will you help me?"<br>She could see that his patience was running thin so she pushed her mind to full speed.  
>`Yes or no? Yes, then they would have sex.<br>An awkward enough thought concerning Sherlock. But what would happen afterwards?  
>If no, then he would either be angry or try to make her change her mind by turning on his charms because he knew that she couldn`t stand those for long before she gave in.´<br>Sherlock was still looking at her, staring into her eyes. He saw her face go blank and instantly recognized her expression.  
>"You are analyzing this situation aren`t you?" He asked and she nodded.<br>"Your thinking process is a lot slower, I would have come to a conclusion by now. Think faster!" He ordered.  
>"I already have." She said and then extended a hand to the book lying on the lab table, the one that he had shown her about the poison. It was a sign of finality.<br>"You agree." Sherlock observed. She just nodded while averting his gaze.  
>"Yes. Good. But not here!" He was already out the door before he remembered her and returned, grabbing her by the wrist, dragging her down the spiral stairs behind him. His long strides causing her to run through the kitchen and the hall behind him.<br>If it hadn`t been Sherlock she would have thought he was eager to get her into bed, but this was him so he probably just wanted to get it over with.  
>They reached her room and he pushed her inside, kicking the door shut behind them.<br>She stood about three feet away from him with her back to the bed and waited for him to say or do something.  
>He looked her over once more, taking in her long shining hair, the expensive robe that hugged her form but was a little too long and her bare feet and finally took one step forward into her personal space causing her to hold her breath for a moment.<br>"I need you to guide me." He said, his voice very quiet.  
>She stepped even closer to him, leaving only three inches between them, and slowly raised her left hand, lying it on his right jacket covered arm.<br>"It begins with a touch." Her voice barely above a whisper.

* * *

><p><em>Hope you liked it, even if it was short. Just neede to upload this.<br>For my Mythea fans, I am uploading a new story. Very soon (rolled r like Mycroft in TGG!)._


	5. Chapter 5

_I know, I know! Long time no see. I had some sort of blockade. Don`t know why but I got over it by listening to a lot of music and reading all the stories you guys wrote and there was some really extraordinary stuff among them!_

_But this here is chapter five and I know how eager you guys are to read how Sherlock and Molly finally try to get rid of that stupid nickname._

_Dedicated to Eccentricpetal because she is just amazing._

**Chapter 5**

The hand that had touched his arm slowly made it`s way up until reaching his shoulder.  
>"Then comes a soft stroke."<br>She let her hand caress down his back over his shoulder blade and up again. He was watching her face, registering every shift of her expression as she caressed his back and he felt his skin warm up where her hand brushed over his jacket. She raised her other hand and laid it on the other shoulder.  
>"After that comes a hug." She whispered and looked deep into his eyes.<br>Gently pulling on his shoulders, she closed the distance between them and turned her head a little to lay it on the crook of his neck.  
>He didn`t move, just let her do but she could feel a small shiver run through his body when her nose touched the soft skin of his throat. Her arms were clutching at his shoulders, holding him against her. He had to lean down a little because she was so much smaller and then they stayed in this position for some time until Molly felt the need to say something.<br>"Sherlock, you may … want to put your arms around my shoulders like I do. That is what is called a hug. Two persons embracing each other."  
>She felt him moving closer, causing her to rise to her toes and then his hands laid themselves very carefully on her shoulder blades.<br>Their chests now touching she could feel his breathing. It was regular and deep, no sign of him being uncomfortable.  
>Her nose picked up his scent. He wasn`t wearing any form of perfume or after shave. He only smelled of himself, a faint hint of musk and a little bit of shower gel. HER shower gel, vanilla scented. In some odd way she found it fitting.<br>After a long time she leaned away from him to look at his face.  
>Only now she noticed that he had removed the contact lenses and was staring at her with his own ice blue eyes. His expression was unreadable. His eyes wide, mouth slightly open but no real emotion was visible. No clue if he wanted to continue this.<br>"Are you still … do you still want … ?" She didn`t know what to say and fortunately didn`t have to because he cut her off.  
>"Yes." And his voice was barely above a grumble.<br>"Okay. Errr … the next step would be a kiss. If that`s alright with -?"  
>But somehow he had already grasped that this was the next step and awkwardly leaned down, bringing their lips only a hairs breath away. Her breath caught in her throat. He was so close close she could see the little black dot above his right pupil. And this pupil was currently fixed onto her lips.<br>"It seems I need to correct my observation." He said and tightened his hold on her back.  
>"The size of your mouth increases with the angle one looks at it." He frowned. "Interesting." He mumbled and finally leaned in.<br>She instantly closed her eyes and held her breath.  
>It was just a tiny brush and then he shied away only to lean in and doing it again and again. Although her eyes were closed she was pretty sure he had his open and was cataloging every perception.<br>After he had done the same thing for the sixth or seventh time, he started to linger a little longer and after what seemed like an eternity for her emotion clouded mind, he stayed attached to her lips.  
>At first there was almost no pressure just the touch of his lips.<br>Then he increased the hold on her shoulders, bringing not only their mouths closer but also their bodies and she tip toed between his feet. She allowed herself to breath and let her hand slide up to his neck.  
>The kiss was still with closed lips. She tried to run her tongue over his lips but instead ended up thrusting it into his mouth. He always seemed to be half a step ahead.<br>When his tongue touched hers they both moaned and it made her snap her eyes open. She had never heard Sherlock Holmes making such a vulnerable sound. To her surprise he had his eyes still closed and she saw his long dark eye lashes lying innocently on his cheeks.  
>That was the moment she realized she really loved him.<br>Closing her eyes again, she started to move her tongue against his and curled her fingers into his hair.

Sherlock was shocked to say the least. He somehow liked kissing. It was soft and hard and slow and fast and he could have it how he wanted it.  
>When he tilted his head, Molly tilted hers, when he moved his tongue she moved hers.<br>He started to explore her body and let his hands glide down her back to her lower back.  
>The robe she was wearing showed her narrow waist. He circled her with his hand and found that he could almost completely reach around.<br>`So small.´He thought for a moment but lost his thoughts when Molly scratched the hair on the base of his head. Suddenly all the hair on his body stood at attention and he pressed her against him, knocking the breath out of her.  
>Molly gasped and broke the kiss. They stared into each others eyes.<br>She registered his fast breathing and large eyes.  
>"Could you do that again?" HE asked huskily and when she did, his eyes rolled back into his head.<br>`Oh he likes that spot.´ shot through her head.  
>He had somehow managed to hold her up, her toes not touching the floor anymore. In this position she felt something more solid press against her hip.<p>

`Oh god. No machine. AT ALL!´ That thought made her lean in to kiss him again. More urgent now and he responded immediately. His lips were softer than she had thought.  
>Grabbing his head she started to trail her lips down his cheek to the softer skin under his jaw.<br>She nipped once, twice and heard him snigger.  
>`Wrong spot.´ She realized and went for his pulse point which she saw moving in a rapid pace.<br>She opened her mouth and sucked that specific point into her mouth.  
>He half choked on his breath.<br>The next thing she knew, she was laying on her back, pressed into the soft mattress of her luxurious bed with Sherlock lying between her legs and her lips still on his throbbing pulse.  
>He was clutching her tightly and made small scooting movements against her.<br>She pushed at his jacket and had it down to his elbows before he even started to let his hands leave her body. She finally let go of his throat and he shivered when his skin was released from her hot lips.  
>He moved a up a bit and sat back on his knees throw his jacket of. When he returned his hands to her, he opened her sash with one single tug on the bow and pushed the two half's apart, revealing her tartan pajama.<br>He stared at it for a moment or rather at the skin that was showing over the waistband of her bottoms.  
>He brought his hand there and dragged one long, slim finger over the exposed skin. It tickled a little and she instinctively pulled in her belly, causing the pajama to show even more skin.<br>He kept stroking and slowly added more and more fingers until his whole hands was stroking over her stomach.  
>The thrill that went down her spine settled between her legs and caused her to arch into his touch.<br>"You like it when I touch your skin." He rumbled and she shivered involuntary.  
>"Yes. I do." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.<br>"Would you like me to continue?"  
>She nodded and tugged her lower lip between her teeth.<br>His hand was completely steady when he reached out and undid the buttons on her chest. Too steady. He willed it to be still.  
>The last button popped open and without hesitation he pushed the fabric aside revealing her flat tummy and the two round shapes of her breasts. He looked at them just in time to see her nipples contract into a tight bud. The rosy circles contrasting with her beautiful pale skin.<br>He noticed that and looked at her eyes. Her pupils blown wide and almost swallowing her natural eye color.  
>In his mind he registered almost a hundred more things that indicated to him how aroused she was. `Has to be a good sign. I have nothing but touched her gently and yet she is in a high state of sexual arousal.´<br>"Interesting." He muttered and didn`t see her hand coming up to grasp the lapels of his shirt, tugging him down until he was on his elbows, their noses only and inch apart.  
>He blamed it on his own emotion-clouded mind.<br>When she spoke, her voice was rough and it send a sharp sting directly to his groin.  
>"Next is … it is called … passion."<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

_OK!  
>Here we go!<em>

_I know it took me more than half a year to do this, but I had such a deep writers blockage, I couldn`t even write my homework without help … kidding._

_So, leave me comments if you like or don`t like!_

Her fingers were fumbling with the buttons on his dark shirt, sliding each through it`s hole as fast as possible. Her eyes fixed on his, only two inches away from hers.  
>"I have never experienced passion." He whispered.<br>Molly was starting to feel increasingly frustrated by the slowness of her own hands.  
>Finally she had them all undone and pulled the shirt apart.<p>

He was pale, untouched by sunlight, but his muscled chest was well defined and spotless.  
>Her breath left her in a rush, her mind momentarily ridden of thoughts.<br>She ran her index finger from his collarbone down over his sternum until she reached his navel.  
>She couldn`t see that far but she felt the little bit of hair running down into the waistband of his trousers, the rest of his upper body was hairless.<br>He was holding perfectly still, giving her access to his skin usually hidden by expensive clothing.

Her hand wandered up again and cupped his chin in her hand, bringing him down to her, their lips meeting.

Her body was desperate for the touch of his skin. She kissed him hungrily and he kissed her just in the same way, finally sinking down onto her.

Her cold nipples touched his warm chest and she couldn`t hold back a moan. He was like a human oven.  
>For Sherlock, this was something completely new. He had never felt so close to anybody. The skin of her nipples had been cold and hard and he had to bite back a groan of shock. But now her the skin of her breast had gone all warm and soft and he felt invited to melt into her.<br>She had kicked away her pajama sleeves and now wrapped her arms slowly around his waist, running them down until reaching his belt.  
>She experimentally tugged at it, indicating for him to take it off.<br>He pushed himself up and opened his belt and trousers in two fluid motions . His eyes were locked on her creamy skin moving from side to side and up and down, taking in the sight of her. She could see his mind racing to store away all the information and sensations he experienced.  
>She helped him to get rid of his trousers and then also threw away her pajama top.<br>He came back down and leaned in to kiss her again.  
>"Get it off." She said shortly before their lips could touch.<br>His eyes fixed on her lips he asked: "What?"  
>"All of it." she said and wiggled around to get her pajama bottoms off.<br>He leaned up and helped her out of it. When coming back between her thighs their flesh touched. Molly couldn`t hold back the moan and he broke back from her lips, staring down at her, sucking in air.  
>"I ... understand." He breathed out and kissed her with so much force their teeth clang together but neither cared.<br>He stroked her naked chest, touched her nipples and stroked all of the skin he could reach. Finally his hands reached the hem of her panties. Slowly he shifted lower, breaking their kiss. The Panties were damp and he inhaled the scent coming from her core.  
>"Spicy, sweet … a hint of tang." He observed.<br>His hands carefully tugged the panties down her legs.

Before she could stop him, he was already lying between her legs. His nose almost touching her damp curls.  
>"Liquid." he said and pushed his tongue between her folds.<br>Molly had been prepared for clumsy and shy Sherlock not for oral-expert-Sherlock.

Her back arched and she groaned loud, fisting her hands in his curly hair.

His tongue found just the right spot and she jerked her hips up.

"Oh … oh god. Oh … ." She scrambled for words but found none. His fingers had been searching through her curls and found her clitoris,expertly pushing down on it.

Molly felt her inner muscles clench and release and clench again. She moaned loudly in sync with his movements. She was close.

Drawing together her last bit of willpower, she yanked sharply on Sherlocks curls.

"Stop … or … I`m gonna … " She didn`t know how to explain to him what it was.

"Isn`t it commonly seen as a goal for the male to please the female before they -"

"Sherlock! This is not a biology class. Please … just act on your … basic urges." She was desperate and opened her legs a little more, inviting him.

For the first time he seemed too dazed to think much and looking at his groin, she felt pretty much the same.

"Yes." Was all he said before sliding off his tight fitting boxers, throwing them over his shoulders.

He came down to her and this time laid his weight on her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raised her legs off the mattress.

He kissed her in a very deep fashion that made her head spin and so when he finally pushed into her she broke away gasping.

He was very well build, in all ways possible. He filled her completely and she wasn`t sure if she could handle him moving.

He was holding perfectly still. His eyes wide open, staring into hers. His pupils fully dilated.

Suddenly he choked out a gasp and she understood that he hadn`t breathed for a long moment. While he sucked in air, she tightened her hold on him a little.

"This … is certainly … the most extraordinary … feeling … I have ever … experienced." He said and she smiled.

"If you think this is extraordinary, you certainly haven`t experienced what comes at the end of this." She raised her head and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"I should … probably move."

"Yes please."

And he did. First he only pushed in a little farther, making her gasp for air.

But then he pulled out almost completely causing her to whimper at the loss of him. When he pushed back in, her low moan made him smile. He leaned down and kissed her neck where it joined her shoulder and it send a spark of desire down to her center.

`Oh yes. He is going to be good at this like he is at anything else.´

He found a rhythm that was both sharp and slow. It made her want to tear her skin off in lust. His own breathing became hard and uneven and after a couple of very deep thrust he groaned.

"Aaar... ."

Molly held onto his quickening movements, trying to keep up. This was his first time, it was about his release and she felt her insides starting to clench again.

"Oh … yes." She sunk her nails into his soft skin and didn`t care about marks.

He was going to come and she was going to be there with him.

His hips moved even faster, his head lying on her shoulder, dropping some very light kisses between low moans.

One of his hands that had been holding her hips against his found hers and brought it up to stretch over her head, pinning her down almost immoveable. He held her tight and pushed into her even harder.

Molly understood his need to hold onto something.

And then he was there.

His back arched, raising him off her chest, his veins stood out at his neck. His hands tightened around her skin and he almost screamed while desperately trying to suck in more air. She felt him pulsing inside her, emptying his seed into her and the hot gush pushed her over the edge. She pressed her thighs against his buttocks and arched her back. His name came from her lips in a long low moan. She felt him relax a little when his orgasm subsided but hers was not yet over.

Lying chest to chest and staring at each other panting for air he brushed away his damp curls and her clingy hair from their foreheads.

"Fascinating." He whispered.

After a moment of silence he realized that she was having trouble with his weight and he pulled out of her wincing. She too felt a loss when he left her body and was happy that he didn`t shy away but laid directly next to her, the skin of their sides touching. He was lying on his stomach, head in her direction and his eyes scanning all over her body.

`Back to detective mode.´ She realized and closed her eyes. She did an inventory of all the places of her body he had touched. Her skin was buzzing and she was sure that his hand had left a print on her bare ass when he had pulled her to him.

She could smell his sweat and hers which was cooling on her body and realized that she didn`t care much. She felt warm and cozy.

She must have fallen asleep because it was much darker in the room when she next opened her eyes. There was only one candle burning on the bedside table beside her.

What had woken her up?

Oh yes that.

A hand was stroking up and down her inner thighs. Down one side and Up and down on the other side. It was waking her still warm inner core back to life.

Sighing she opened her legs wider and wasn`t surprised when the hand that had been stroking her in so delicious ways went right to her center and pushed two fingers inside of her. She felt a little embarrassment coming to her lust clouded mind when she felt the tingle of liquid running from her core, to coat his searching fingers.  
>Very slowly she opened her eyes and looked down her body.<br>Sherlock, in an obvious state of curiosity, was lying face down between her legs, staring at his fingers that were pushing in and out of her. She hooked her legs and was rewarded with his piercing blue eyes staring up at her.  
>Molly tried not to shy away of the coolness she saw but he was already paying attention at her sex again.<br>"I was trying to bring you to orgasm while you were still asleep, which obviously didn`t work. I must try harder next time." He said and suddenly latched on to her clitoris.

" Oh my god." Molly cried out.  
>He brought her to orgasm in a matter of seconds and only stopped sucking her when she almost cried from the sensory over stimulation and passed out.<p>

It was almost morning when he touched her again.  
>He took a great amount of time looking for other sexual stimulating zones. He found her wrist, her elbow, the nape of her neck, the valley between her breasts and a dozen other places that made her moan and whimper.<p>

She tried to repay the favor but he kept holding her hands above her head, kissing her occasionally.

He took her in a very ungentlemanly manner this time.

From behind.

It was a first for Molly too.

He had turned her onto her stomach, indicating by grabbing her waist to raise onto her knees. Taking her hands he curled them around the headboard and kissed a trail of soft kisses down her spine. It made her shiver and pant in anticipation.

He pushed in very softly and she winced when she felt his hot flesh slide along her sore insides. Instead of staying up right, he laid his torso onto her back, curling his arms around her and touching her breasts. She felt his hot breath on her neck. He had been a virgin not six hours ago and now he was so familiar with her body, as if he was naturally a part of it.

He pushed deep into her and she felt a spark of something flutter in her stomach. He did it again and again and suddenly she knew what she wanted to do.

She pushed away from the headboard and sat back onto his lap. He seemed surprised and did nothing but panting for air.

Molly opened her legs even wider, pushed her hips back against his groin and started rotating her pelvis.

It worked. She felt the spark coming again and he was equally pleased.

He wasn`t panting anymore, he started to groan in sync with her movements.

His hands kept her pressed against him tightly and his hips pushed up into her.

The feeling was so delicious and divine, Molly was surprised when her orgasm rolled over her in waves after waves. A long high moan filled the room and she only noticed it was her when he turned her head around to kiss her and there was silence. Her insides were squeezing him and he came only seconds later.

Light. Why was there light in this room. She didn`t want it to be morning. She only wanted to sleep. Was it even morning? Why was she cold?

All those thoughts shot through Molly's mind when she opened her eyes for one second.

She tried again and found the window to be bright with daylight. What time was it?

She rolled over and looked at the watch lying on her bedside table.

Past 9. She overslept!

"Shit!" She cursed and turned around to find the bead empty. Sherlock was not there anymore and all the clothes she had shed the night before were piled onto a chair.

Where was he and why didn`t he wake her?

She jumped out of bed, pulled on her night gown and went to find somebody in this huge house.

She walked down the stairs and heard voices coming from the library where Mycroft had welcomed them the night before. She wasn`t wearing any shoes, had simply forgot them and now she regretted it. She tip toed to the half closed door and listened.

Mycroft was talking to Joseph, who answered in short sentences.

"Did he take anything with him? Clothes? Food?"

"No Sir, nothing."

"What time do the cameras show when he disappeared?"

"The time code reads 5:04 this morning."

Molly didn`t know what to think.

Sherlock was gone and had left her here with his brother? Why? WHY?

Had she done something wrong last night?

She started to bite the nails on her right hand, a habit that she had developed when she was ten and school started to get serious.

This situation was as much of a mystery to her as the complex exercises back then.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she did not notice the two men finishing their conversation and Joseph coming to the door.

"Miss Hooper, good morning, may I help you?" He asked.

"Oh … No, Joseph thank you. I … I was just … . " She stammered again …

"Doctor Hooper, please come in." Over Josephs shoulder she could see Mycroft standing near the long table, where obviously breakfast had been served, wearing black trousers and a gold colored vest over his starched shirt. A Matching tie finished the ensemble. He looked … impressive and in a very cold way attractive.

Joseph stepped aside and she tapped in to the room. She Floor here was made of dark wood, making it a little less cold and harsh to walk on it.

She went over to the table and grabbed one of the high backs.

Mycroft followed her movements and noticed that she was keeping herself away from him. He also noticed that she was wearing nothing under her heavy robe.

"My dear, I`m afraid that my brother has decided to leave early. I can only guess what his intention by doing so is." He pulled back a chair and motioned for her to sit down and eat.

"Tea or coffee?" He asked and went for the wheel tray.

"Tea, please … . Can you tell me why he left me here? I was under the impression that I was to come with him? I … I don`t understand. He didn`t … ." She wasn`t going to tell his elder brother that Sherlock, not more than some hours ago had shared her bed and they did not sleep, AT ALL! Why hadn`t he said something?

She was biting her nails again.

"He left you a note." Mycroft said, suddenly standing by her side and putting down a steaming hot cup of tea. With milk, the way she liked it. He pulled a small folded piece of paper from his vest pocket and placed it against the cup.

Suddenly he reached for her hand that was currently beeing rid of it`s remaining nails and gently pulled it away from her face.

She looked up at him. His face almost blank.

"Please don`t do that." He said and let go of her hand.

He left her side and sat down at the head of the table, several feet away from her, taking up his cup and news paper which he had read before the news of his brothers leaving had reached him.

Molly looked back to the letter.

When she reached for it, her hand was slightly shaking.

It was short and totally Sherlock.

_I have decided to leave you in my brothers care and carry on with my work on my own._

_Do not see this a way of getting rid of you. I think you know that I would have found another way if I wanted that. Do not try to follow me. It could end badly. _

_Last night was a singular experience . Be assured that it is irreplaceable stored away in my memory._

_Sherlock Holmes_

Molly put down the letter and reached for her cup. It was burning hot against her flesh but she didn`t really feel it.

At least the night had been something that had touched him in some way.

What now? Was he coming back? Was he in danger?

She had a million questions and nobody to answer them.

Mycroft cleared his throat on the other end of the table and only now Molly remembered him being there.

"Did he tell you … anything about what I am to do now?"

She asked, her voice cracking.

"He left me a note too. I think that he wants you to have your life back. To go back to the hospital."

"I … I can`t. I mean, not yet. I had to come up with a lie. That my mother has fallen ill and that I would go home for some days." She downed her tea and sat back into her chair, waiting for him to answer.

"My brother, in his all foreseen way has mentioned that in his note. He wanted you to stay here for a time that will be suiting for the illness of a mother." He ended and folded up is newspaper. His gray eyes met hers and he took in her appearance.

"You should eat something. You slept very little last night and this morning, at least eat something."

"how do you know that I didn`t sleep this morning?" She asked quietly.

He had the most perfect manners and looked away long enough to say:

"The acoustic in this building is excellent. You can hear everything anybody says and it works best on the upper floor." He looked back at her with wide open eyes.

`He could hear us!´ She realized. She blushed in a matter of seconds and tried to hide her embarrassment by pretending to look out the window. It didn`t work.

"He is now a much more dangerous force. He has found out how the most powerful thing in life feels like. He experienced love with his own body. You do love him?" He asked and she knew that he knew the answer to that question.

"I do."

Please give me some review! I love that!

_I have decided to do some spoilers here:_

"_Yes, I do." - "Oh god yes!" - "Oooooh goooood!"_


	7. Chapter 7

_Well, here we go with the next one. I hope you guys wont be disappointed that Sherlock may not come back as soon as some hope. But he will be there eventually, so hang in there!_

_But now we need to focus on poor Molly who is stuck with Mycroft for the next couple of days._

_What`s going to happen? Well, see for yourself. _

Molly was sitting at her vanity table. She still hadn`t dressed and she didn`t feel like doing it for the next couple of hours. What for anyway?

The mirror showed a reflection of her and there behind her was that big warm bed that Sherlock had fled from not more than 5 hours ago. Why hadn`t he said something? What changed his mind?

She started to pace around the room. Somehow she felt restless and cold. She went into the bathroom and started to run hot water into it. She still had the combined sweat of Sherlock and herself on her skin and the smell increased by the minute. She wasn`t afraid of the smell, she was afraid of the reaction it started within her. It started a film in her head. A film of all the things that he had done to her body last night and how he felt under her hands. She shuddered. `Oh great, now I am spoiled for him forever. God, no!´

She stepped out of her robe and into the hot water. It helped her to relax a little. She leaned back, closed her eyes and tried to think of nothing, to clear her head of anything that would trouble her.

`Breath in … one … two … three … and out … one … two … three … four.´ She learned that years ago and it sometimes worked. But not now.

`Damn.´ She reached for a wash cloth that she had found under the sink and started to rub off their combined scents.

Leaving the bathroom ten minutes later molly went for her suitcase. She picked out some heavy trousers and a thick Sweater her mother had made for her years ago.

She had formed a plan while drying herself off. Maybe a walk would do her good.

She pulled on her clothes and grabbed her coat from the chair and made her way down the stairs.

Nobody was in the hallway so she made her way for the door.

It was a very heavy oak door and she had a little trouble to open it.

The cool air hit her with full force. Her hair was still a little wet from the bath so it was additionally harsh. She put on the hood of her coat and looked around.

The shingle beneath her feet crackled with every step. To her left was the road that led out of the estate and to her right was the beginning of a green park with large trees and a lot of bushes and trails. She decided on the middle one and started to walk.

After two or maybe three minutes she began to feel warm again, her thick coat and hood shielding her from the unkind weather. She found a big meadow that seemed to go on forever and left the park trail she was on. The meadow led up to a small hill and she decided she wanted to see what was up there. The grass was soft and inviting and she squatted down to run her hand through it.

It was a nice feeling. She hadn`t seen anything else but concrete and stone in more than five years. And she never felt the need to touch either. That`s what one gets for living in the city.

She made it up the hill and while crossing the top she could finally see the whole estate or rather more of the estate, for it seemed to go on forever. Very far away she could see the roof and tower of a church but that was it. Turning back around she had a good view of the house and the great trees of the garden.

This was were Sherlock had grown up. In this endless garden with all it`s beauty. The house was a bit too big and cold. She wondered if either of them had ever been allowed to bring home friends.  
>Molly turned back the way she came and decided to walk a little more on the trail she had previously taken. Just as she was stepping off the grass somebody appeared at her right side.<p>

Molly jumped and took a sharp breath. Next to her stood an older man, probably in his late fifties. He was wearing a thick woolen jacket and a slide cap, which he hastily grabbed and yanked off his balding sandy hair.

"Oh, `m so sorry, Miss. Didn`t mean to startle you. Forgive an old man for his curiosity." He was looking at her through big brown eyes and she immediately started to like him.

"There is nothing to forgive sir, I should have watched out where I was going." She gave him a little smile, trying to assure him that she was indeed alright.

"May I ask, who you are, Sir?"  
>"Oh, Miss, `m no Sir. `m Johnson, one of the gardeners of Mr Holmes." He smiled and revealed teeth that had seen better days and one was missing.<p>

"In that case Mr Johnson, my name is Molly Hooper. You could help me by saying how big this garden of yours is? I have been walking for some time and I don`t think I have come closer to the end of it."

"Well, Miss, this estate is 23 square miles large. That is not the largest estate in this area. You could walk another five miles and still you wouldn`t really be at the end." He laughed and she did too.

Suddenly something was stroking around her feet and she looked down to find a pretty corgi sitting by her side, looking up at her with smiling blue eyes.

"And who are you?" Molly reached down and stroked through the very soft and thick fur of the dog.

"This is Susan, she`s Mr Mycrofts dog. But he hardly has any time for her and the others." Johnson looked at Susan with a sad expression.

"Are there more than one dog?" Molly asked.

"Yes of course. Mr Mycroft has three corgis and two cocker spaniel." He looked around.

"Susan must have escaped again. She does that sometimes if she gets too bored. Would you like to meet the others?"

Molly loved dogs! "Yes, of course!"

"Well then come along Miss. We need to get to the other side of the house." He flicked his fingers and Susan followed them.  
>They walked back on the trail Molly had taken and instead of heading for the main entrance, they turned right and and rounded the tower. On the other side of the house was a glass conservatory which she didn`t see when she was in the house. It was big and she could see plants standing in their pots all around the room.<p>

Johnson opened the door for her and she stepped in. Her second foot hadn`t crossed the threshold yet, when there was loud barking and a total of four dogs was running around her, sniffing and brushing.

"Oh god. Hey, how are you?" Molly sat on the next free piece of floor and all the dogs gathered around her. They tried to lick her face and run her over and Molly laughed and kept stroking them.

"Why is Mr Holmes not taking them out?" Molly asked and tried to defend herself against another licking attack.

"Oh he takes them out alright. Maybe once or twice a month. He is a very busy man, Mr Holmes. You see, Susan was his mothers dog before she retired to a nice little cottage on the coast. And the others came as gifts from the family because Mr Mycroft and Mr Sherlock never had much friends when they were younger. That Cocker Spaniel over there, the black one, his name is Tommy, he actually was a gift to Mr Sherlock when he turned eighteen. But Mr Sherlock moved to London shortly after that and left him here." Johnson finished and leaned down to stroke Susan who seemed to like him very much.

`It was probably for the better that he was left or he might have ended up in one of Sherlock`s experiments.´ Molly thought.

She kept hugging and caressing the dogs and playing with them. An idea popped into her head.

"Johnson, who takes care of the dogs?"

"I and Miss Mary, the maid. But she can`t always spare the time. I let them out twice a day and feed them. And on some days Mr Holmes takes one or two out for a walk."

"I would like to take care of them as long as I stay here, would that be alright? I really love dogs, but my flat in London is too small to keep a dog in it. I shall stay here for another couple of days so I wouldn`t mind to take them out and feed them, if you don`t mind?"

Johnson looked at her and a little smile appeared on his weather worn face.

"That`s alright Miss. They seem to like you very much. And I could use the time to look after the garden. Let me tell you the names of the other ones. Well, you met Susan and Tommy. The dark corgi there is Chester and the white one with the brown tail is Emily, she doesn`t like to be touched very much but you`ll manage. And the brown Spaniel is Seamus, he was a gift from Mr Holmes aunt from Scotland."

Molly tried to remember all their names as fast as possible. `Corgis: Susan, Chester, Emily. Spaniel: Tommy and Seamus. Ok. Have to keep that in mind.´

"Could you show me where their food and leashes are kept?"

"Sure. Right this way, Miss." Johnson stepped through the jungle of plants and led her to an old door. He opened it and it squeaked loudly. They were at the end of a long hallway that led up to another old looking door. They stepped through and into the kitchen.

"Oh. I was here yesterday but I did not see this door." Molly said and saw Mary standing on the other end of the huge room.

Mary spotted her and sighed in relieve.

"There you are. We have been looking for you all over the house. He thought you ran away!" She seamed a little upset and now came over to look at her.

"What? But I`ve been out for maybe two hours. How can you be looking for me already? I went for a walk and met Johnson here, that`s all." Molly realized the last sentence Mary had said and a spark of hope sprang free inside of her. "Who thought I ran away?"

Mary tried and failed not to roll her eyes.

"Mr Mycroft of course. He wanted to talk to you but we couldn`t find you in the house and no where in the garden so he concluded that you had run off."

The spark inside Molly died instantly. No, Sherlock had not come back to get her. Instead his ice cold brother had sent for her and she had not been there.

"Where is he now? I`ll go and tell him where I was and apologize for not telling where I went."

"That would be a good idea. He is in the parlor."

"Alright. Please excuse me Johnson." Molly said to the old gardener and headed out the door, turning to the big one on the left. Before pushing down the handle, she inhaled deeply.

She knocked and stepped in. Mycroft was sitting in a leather chair a book in his hand, reading.

When he saw her he placed the book on the table next to him.

"You are back. That was a wise decision." He said in a slow deep way.

Molly felt somewhat stupid. She frowned.

"I never left. Why would you think I would leave without telling a soul where I went? I was out in the garden or rather I tried to find my way through it. I met your gardener and he was very kind to me. He showed me the dogs."

Mycroft had not moved a finger, he had only blinked once and said nothing. He seemed to take in all she said and finally brought himself to smile.

"Well, in that case I have to apologize. I was under the impression that you were very upset about my brothers behavior and didn`t want to stay here."

"I am upset. But I have nowhere to go to. I have no idea where in the country I am so, I am glad to stay here. I actually like it. Some parts are really beautiful." She looked around the room with the warm leather sofas and chairs and a small table with luxurious chairs of dark wood.

"What parts do you like?" He asked and she was so surprised that she looked back at him.

"Ahm … I … like the little hill not far from the house. You can see a church from there. And I like the kitchen. It has a nice and warm atmosphere. Oh and the conservatory, where the dogs are." She had to smile a bit.

"Did you like the dogs?" He asked and stood from his chair.

"Yes. I love dogs. And they are very friendly." She watched him walk to a bookcase on his left side.

He scanned the line straight a head of him and pulled a dark brown leather book out.

"This one is about herding dogs. It was written in the late 19th century. You might enjoy it." He handed the rather heavy looking book to her and she took it.

It was really old and while opening it she noticed a very pretty picture of a tri-colored corgi on the front page.

"Thank you Mr Holmes. I just asked Johnson to let me take care of the dogs while I am here and he didn`t mind, so this book might come in handy." She pressed the book to her chest and smelled this old book smell that always made her feel like a little kid in her grandfathers study again.

"Maybe you can teach them something. I hardly have any time to care for them. But right now I think you should have Mary bring you lunch. You missed it and I am sure after your walk you could use something warm." He pulled on a bell-pull that was hanging from the ceiling next to another big fireplace. Only three seconds later Joseph was standing in the door.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Could you have Mary bring some of the left over of lunch into the library. Miss Hooper had not yet have anything to eat."

"Certainly Sir."

"Thank you Mr Holmes." Molly said and turned to follow Joseph out the door.

"Please, call me Mycroft." He said and she almost didn`t hear him. She turned back and he was looking straight at her. His expression was a bit softer now and she saw the resemblance to his brother.

"Thank you Mycroft. Please call me Molly."

"You are welcome, Molly" He said and suddenly his cold face returned and he turned away to look out the window.

Molly walked across the hall and into the library, where Mary was already setting up a plate for her.

"Thank you Mary. I could have gotten myself something. I should have told him to hang on."

"It`s no trouble at all. I was keeping it on the heater anyway. Have a seat."

Mary was about to turn around and leave when Molly stopped her.

"Would you please join me? I don`t want to sit here alone on my own, nobody to talk to."

Mary was dumbstruck. Her mouth hanging open in a very unattractive way. She recovered after maybe three seconds.

"If you like, I will join you."

Molly sat down and Mary sat on her left side.

She tried the food and it was excellent. It was rice with chicken and ratatouille. It made her feel warm and a little bit less lost.

"Can I ask you something?" Molly asked and fed herself with a large fork of rice.

"Yes of course."

"I was wondering, … do you have a husband or boyfriend? If I may ask." She felt awkward but she had a specific topic she wanted to talk about: men.

"Oh, … Miss Molly. Ahm … well. It`s a bit difficult. I … well. I … . Let`s just say I had a husband, but he unfortunately passed away. He was soldier. He died in combat. Three … years ago." Her voice gave away and Molly instantly regretted that she asked.

"I am so sorry. So sorry. I didn`t mean for you to have to think about it again. Forgive me." She reached for Marys hand and held it in hers. The older woman's face was in an immoveable state. A single wet line was visible on her pretty face.

"There is nothing to forgive. I … I just haven`t thought about him very much. It`s just too painful."

"I understand."

"Why did you ask?" Mary looked at her, wiping her face.

"Well, I was wondering if you had ever … well … ever had a beautiful experience with a man and he … left you afterwards even though he had planned for something else entirely. It`s awkward to think of him that way. Sherlock, I mean. Have you known him for long?"

Mary had a little smile on her face.

"Oh Molly. That happens to a lot of women. Sometimes he stays and you get lucky, but most of the time you get stood up. Until you find the right one. It takes time."

"It`s just, I had a couple of relationships and one night stands, but none of them have ever been this way." She finished the last bite of her meal and put the cutlery down.

"I guess I thought he might just do as he says."

"Maybe he had a reason for not taking you along. Maybe he … well, sort of cared for you. That would be a first. I `ve known him for more than ten years and he never really had feelings for anybody, that he actually showed. Can I ask you a question now?"

"Oh sure. Ask away."

"How was it? With Mr Sherlock I mean? Is he a good lover?"

Molly was a bit surprised about Marys own boldness but she really started to like her.

"Oh, ahm, .. he … is a good lover. No. No. It was great. He was inexperienced but he … learned very, very, very quick." They had not noticed yet, but they had started to lean closer and kept their voices quiet.

"Really? But he always seemed not to care about what others need and others think. Not even his family. Did he just, … well you know, finish without you?" Mary whispered the last part.

"Oh, no! He made sure that I had everything I needed. Or … well, you know."

Mary smiled, biting her lip and seemed to want to ask another question.

"What is it? It`s alright, you can ask."

"Ok. How … many times did he make you … ?" She raised her eyebrows without finishing the sentences.

Molly wanted to burst out in laughter, but she kept her professional mask on.

"Three."

"Lord!" Mary exclaimed.

And Molly had to laugh, really laugh. She couldn`t stop even when the tears came, she didn`t. And Mary had started to giggle too.

It was that moment when Mycroft Holmes decided to look where all the laughing and noise was coming from. He crossed the hallway and pushed the heavy oak door open just a bit to see Molly and Mary laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces. It was a sight for sore eyes. They seamed so much more younger and beautiful. He decided not to disturb them and pulled the door close.

"Joseph!" He called and the butler appeared on the other side of the hall.

"Yes Sir."

"I think I am going back to the office some more. Can you have Nigel bring the car out front?"

"Right away Sir."

Molly and Mary were done with their laughing match and Mary was about to clear the dishes when they heard shuffling in the hall and Molly went to the door.

She saw Mycroft standing in the hall, about to leave. He had a heavy coat on and an umbrella was hanging from his left arm. Joseph was just about to hand him his briefcase.

"Are you leaving?" Molly blurted out and he turned to her with a surprised face.

"I am going to work for some time. I believe I will be back for dinner."

"Oh … well. See you later then." Molly turned to Mary and gave her a hand with the dishes. She tried to mask her uneasiness about him leaving by hiding behind Mary and walking into the kitchen.

Mycroft watched Molly turn away from him, averting her eyes. `She has learned that her eyes show her emotion.´ He thought. She had looked at him with fear in her eyes, fear about him leaving. `But why?´ He spend most of the time on the way to the office thinking about that. But let it be as soon as work entered his mind.

Molly spend the afternoon helping Mary. Then she went up into her room and started to read in the book Mycroft had given her. She scribbled down a couple of notes about corgis and cocker spaniels liked to be fed how they were to entertain. Afterwards she went into the conservatory and grabbed the leashes for all the dogs. She took them all for a long walk. She took the same trail she had walked in the morning and made a round around the house until reaching the direction that eventually would lead to the road. She walked for fifteen, twenty minutes and it was getting darker.

She could see the gate when it suddenly opened and a car pulled up. She kept walking but stepped onto the grass, her arms extended in front with the force of five dogs pulling on their leashes and barking at the intruder. The car pulled to a stop next to her and the window rolled down at the back door.

"Molly, why are you out in the dark? Please go back to the house, now." He commanded in an ice cold way. The window rolled up again and the car drove off.

She had no other choice but to walk back to the house.

She stroked each dog before she made her way into the kitchen.

Mary was putting together dinner and was about to serve when she spotted Molly.

"Mr Holmes just returned. You better get changed, dinner is almost ready."

"Thank you Mary. I`ll hurry!"

Molly remembered the short cut through Sherlocks room an ran up the narrow stairs.

It was dark in the room but she made her way through it and down the hall into her room.

She pulled off her warm jacket and changed into a blouse and a warm cardigan. She threw her heavy boots into the corner next to the door and slipped on a pair of slippers.

Looking at herself in the mirror for the last time she turned and headed out the door.

When she entered the library she found it almost empty. Only Joseph was in there lighting the candles in the candelabras. The table was set for two and Molly sat on the side near the fire, because she had seen Mycroft sit on the other side in the morning. Joseph finished and came over to her.

"Miss Hooper, have you any wish concerning the wine you want to have with your lamb?"

"We are having lamb? My god. I wasn`t expecting anything so fancy. I don`t know Joseph, what would you recommend?"

"Well, Miss we have a cellar of excellent wines, I would recommend -"

"Don`t bother Joseph, we`ll take the Syrah Saint-Joseph, if you would be so kind." Mycroft walked into the room. Every inch of him the perfect gentlemen. He was wearing a dinner jacket but no tie. `Thank go, he is somewhat casual. I thought it is just dinner.´ Molly thought.

Joseph left them alone and shut the door.

Mycroft had walked over to the wheel tray and poured himself a glass of scotch. "Would you like one of these before dinner is served?" He held up the pitcher full of golden liquid.

"Oh, no. Thank you. I am not much of a scotch drinker."

"What would you prefer? Perhaps Prosecco? Or Aperol?"

"No thank you. I don`t drink very often. I hardly go out anyway. I like wine and that`s it."

"In that case, we should visit the wine cellar later, if you like." He came over to her and placed his scotch on the table. Instead of sitting down, he walked over to his desks and searched for something between the high piled folders.

"Molly, I have to excuse myself for earlier. I didn`t mean to be that harsh. Has anybody told you what exactly happened on the rooftop between Sherlock and Jim Moriarty?"

"Not really. I mean … Sherlock told me that he, Jim I mean, shot himself. In the head. But other than that he just said that he had to disappear for a long time and that it was for the best, but never why." Molly stared into the flame of the candle closest to her, remembering Sherlocks words.

"In that case I have to tell you some things that might be unsettling but you know that you are safe here, right." He moved a little closer, holding a file in his hands. He placed it on the table in front of her and started to explain, while opening the manila folder.

"Before Mr Moriarty killed himself, he threatened my brother that if he not kill himself either, all of his friends will be executed by snipers. There was one sniper for each target. One for Doctor Watson, one for Mrs Hudson and one for Detective Inspector Lestrade." He placed three photos on the table. Each showing an unknown person. Two men, one woman.

"You might have seen one of them when you walked around Baker Street or the hospital where Doctor Watson was working." The photos disappeared and a picture of a smart phone was shown to her.

"This is Moriarty`s cell phone. He sent one text before his death. It was to a Colonel Sebastian Moran, formerly of the Royal Army. A trained sniper. There was only one sentece. `There is one more: MH.´ Sherlock thought it was meant for me but I always thought it was you. Because you were the only one that Moriarty never put into the equation. He left you out of the picture, but why?"

He finished and closed the file. He went and put it back on the desk before sitting down just in time for Joseph to come in and serve the wine, followed by Mary who brought the lamb.

It smelled delicious and Molly felt her stomach grumble. But she did not feel like eating much after what she just heard.

If Mycroft was right, then there was sniper somewhere out there who would try to kill her and that could very well be the reason why Sherlock left her in his brothers care.

Mary was putting lamb and potatoes on her plate and she thanked her.  
>They left and Molly couldn`t fight the urge to ask one more question.<p>

"Is that why Sherlock left me with you? And why you didn`t want me outside in the dark?"

Mycroft had been about to drink from his glass of wine and now lowered it again.

"Yes, that is the reason. And if you have to go out please do so, but only when the sun is still up. Is that acceptable?"

Molly nodded. "Yes. Thank you for your concern."

"In his note my brother was very insistent that I was to keep you save. If he thinks that you are in need of protection, then I will not put you in harms way. Now … let`s eat. I am famished."

The ate in silence only disturbed by the crackling of the fire.

After they finished, Mycroft took his scotch over to the fireplace and lounged in one of the leather chairs. He looked at her expectantly as she finished her wine. She wasn`t used to drinking fast.

"Would you care to join me? Perhaps you can tell me something interesting about yourself." He asked and took a long sip from his tumbler.

Molly rose from her chair and came slowly over.

"Oh, there is nothing interesting to know about me. I work with dead people, but you knew that already. I wonder if there is anything that you do not know. Probably not." She felt a little tipsy from the wine and wasn`t sure she should have said that, but right now it was out and that`s it.

"I had hoped I might have missed something. I thought there must be a reason why my brother has so much confidence in you. He trusts you. Why is that?" He raised his eyebrows.  
>"Maybe because he knows how I feel about him. How I always felt about him." She said and stared into the flames.<br>"And how is that?" He asked softly, taking another sip from his glass.

"Didn`t he write that in his note? I was in love with him from the first moment on and he knew how to use that to his advantage." She bit her lips. "And I let him." Molly felt a lump burn in her throat and she quickly got up.

"Good night, Mycroft." She managed before her throat closed and she hurried for the door.

"Good night." She heard him call after her.

Upstairs, Molly had a good cry for about ten minutes, then she wiped away her tears and began to prepare for bed. Before she succumbed to sleep, she turned to the pillow that Sherlock had occupied the night before and inhaled his scent. She then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in a matter of seconds.

They started to form a rhythm around each other. He would leave in the morning before she got up, to go to work. She would get up and start the day by preparing breakfast with Mary. Then she would take the dogs out for a walk. She explored the whole estate and found a lot of beautiful places. For example, there was a little fountain behind the house which hadn`t seen any care in more than a decade. It was very romantic and didn`t really fit into the ensemble of the house and huge garden. Then she would go up to her room to read in the book about dogs. At lunchtime she went down to help Mary again. Sometimes Mycroft came home for Lunch but on most of the days he didn`t return before dinner. Molly was glad about that. His questions had only made her feel lonely and unhappy about her whole situation. After lunch she sometimes helped Mary to clean in one of the rooms. And before dinner she took the dogs out for another walk. She loved them all and they seamed to return her feelings by trying to lick her face each time she came close enough. Susan was the most attentive. She would walk right next to Molly the whole time, while all the others were running around in a rather wild bunch.

Sometimes Mycroft would start to read after dinner, sitting in his obviously favorite chair. From day three on, she would bring her book down before dinner and sit in the other chair.

And so the sat there in silence, each fully focused on their books. Around ten Molly would excuse herself and go to bed. He always staid longer and he had understood that she didn`t want to talk about his brother or the night they had spend together.

She was starting to feel comfortable. Sometimes he would even ask about the dogs and she would tell him something she had taught them.

On day eight, Molly was in the garden, picking tomatoes, when she heard footsteps approaching from the house. She had been squatting down to have access to the lower vegetables and stood to see who it was.

But there was nobody standing near her. She was sure that she had heard foot steps but turned back to finish her task.

She froze and dropped all the tomatoes to the ground.

Mycroft was standing directly behind her.

"I am sorry. I dind`t intend to frighten you. Do forgive me." He was already on his knees picking up the vegetables.

"You scared me to death." Molly said quietly but helped him to get all the tomatoes.

"I`m afraid it comes with the job. Again, I apologize."

"I work with dead people, so I am not used to them sneaking up on me." Molly said and dared to look into his face. A small smile played around his lips.

"Are they intended for dinner tonight?" Mycroft asked and gestured at the tomatoes.

"Yes they are. I hope you like pasta. I will be cooking tonight. But don`t worry. Mary will watch me the whole time."

"Did you cook while Sherlock was staying with you?" As soon as he had asked he knew it was not a good idea to ask about his brother.

She looked in the other direction and took a deep breath. "Sometimes. He liked take out more than what I made. But sometimes, yes."

"If he ate what you cooked, then I will never worry." He said and her head snapped back.

He sensed her question and gave her an answer. "My brother is very choosy about what he likes and what he doesn`t like. If he eats something, he likes it and so shall I." He gestured to the house and they started to walk back.

"But the reason, I came to you is a different one. I wanted to ask if you are free after dinner tonight?"

They rounded the house and he opened the door for her.

"I can go nowhere, as you know. So yes. I am free." In her head, Molly was calculating what Mycroft wanted from her. Did he want to go out to watch a movie or go to the theater?

"I was invited to attend a vernissage and subsequently cocktials. I usually don`t take anybody and most of the time I do not attend these sort of events, but I thought you could use a night in more company than just me." They entered the kitchen and Mary froze when she turned to the door.

"That was very thoughtful of you Mycroft. There is just one problem. I didn`t pack any clothing for such an occasion." She bit her lip and turned around to hand Mary the tomatoes. Mary was a little slow in taking them from her. Molly wondered why.

"Oh, I am sure that won`t be a problem. Just wear what you are wearing now. I don`t think it will of importance." He seamed convinced by what he was saying.

"Alright. When are we leaving? I need to freshen up a bit after I cook dinner with Mary."

"That is perfectly alright. I never arrive when the other guests do. I hate to listen to boring speeches." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and gave her a half grin. "The invitation is for seven o`clock. I intend to arrive around eight." He bowed a little and exited the kitchen with the word "Ladies..." and the two women were alone.

"Oh my god." Mary said quietly.

"What? What is it?" Molly looked at her stunned face.

"He hasn`t been in the kitchen in over three years. He never talks to anybody in such a friendly way besides Joseph. But he has been here longer than Mr Mycroft himself. I have to say I am a little surprised." She started to wash the tomatoes in the sink and Molly grabbed a towel to dry them off.

"I am sure it`s nothing. He just scared me to death in the garden before and probably feels sorry for it."

"Yes, that`s probably it." Mary agreed, but her answer seamed uncertain. Suddenly she turned to Molly.

"I think I have the perfect outfit for you to wear tonight. It is not fancy but it shows that you know how do dress for the occasion. Shall I show it to you after dinner?"

"Yes, sure. My god, now I am excited." Molly said and smiled, while she started to blush.

Around half past six, dinner was served and Mycroft was sitting at the table pouring wine into their glasses. He was not paying much attention to what he was doing, but had his eyes fixed at the large bowl of steaming pasta which was sitting a few feet away from him.

"If this tastes as good as it smells, I might have to employ you as a second cook."  
>Molly had set the table so they were sitting next to each other instead of several feet away.<p>

"No need for that. It`s one of only ten recipe I know." She said any sat down, reaching for the two spoons in the pasta bowl.

They ate in silence until Mycroft had finished his first plate and asked for more.

"It`s excellent. I have to say this is the best Pasta I have eaten in my life. Where did you get the recipe from?"

Molly smiled and put another spoon full of Pasta on his plate.

"I had an Italian roommate in college. She made Pasta every week. I loved it."

"You should give me her name, so I can send her a check. This is worth a very large sum of money." He finished his dinner and they emptied their glasses.

"It`s almost seven now, I`m gonna go upstairs and freshen up, if that`s alright."

"Of course." He said and she felt him follow her with his eyes.

Molly hurried over to the kitchen and found Mary cleaning pods and pans.

"Okay, I`m ready." Mary dropped her work and took Molly upstairs. The quarters for the servants were located in the tower of the large house.

It was a small room with a big window, which went out to the garden. There was a nice four poster bed and a small desk along with a fine chair and a matching closet.

Mary walked right up to that closet and opened it. Molly saw only four or five shirts and blouses before Mary reached inside and pulled something in a cloth bag. Before she could see much more, Mary had closed the door again.

"I bought this when my husband was abroad, but I never got to wear it. Now it only hangs here and I can`t bring myself to take it out."

She pulled the zipper down and out came a beautiful, black, silky cocktail dress.

"Oh lord ..." Molly whispered. "I can`t wear this. It`s so … so beautiful."

"Please wear it. I can`t and it is too precious to hang around and rot." She pulled it off the hanger and held it against Mollies front. "Try it on at least."

"Okay."

Mary smiled and turned around holding up the dress in one hand and the other to hold her clothes.

It took only two minutes and Molly was dressed in a dream of black silk.

It was clingy around her waist and hips and reached to shortly above her knees. The really amazing part of the dress was the kneck line. It was wide, revealing her white skin and showing off her breasts. The back was drawn down, making for a very nice view of her back.

Molly looked at herself in the mirror. "And this is not too much?"

"Oh, believe me, this is too little for the society that you are gonna see today!" Mary said and produced a pair of medium high pumps. "Here, I think we have the same shoe size. Try them on."

She did and turned around to look at Mary. "What do you think will Mycroft say? I mean, I told him that I don`t have anything to wear."

"I think it will be alright. He now has a very fitting date." They started to laugh when Molly saw the clock sitting on the desk.

"Oh god. The time. What about my hair?" It was currently up into a pony tail and Mary reached around and pulled the elastic out, letting the hair falling into their natural position.

"There. Now walk." Mary started to push her out the door. They made it to the stairs while giggling and chuckling wildly.

Mycroft had been standing in the hall, fixing his tie when he heard women laughing happily. He looked up just in time to see Molly coming to the stairs while talking and laughing with Mary.

Molly turned to look at him and they both stopped their movements.

She was wearing a black dress which accentuated her slim and elegant figure. Her hair was falling freely over back, which was visible from the open back of the dress.

Molly unfroze from her position and came down the stairs, Mary following her close by.

"Do you like what Mary chose for me?" Molly asked and came to stand in front of him. She looked up at him in a very shy way and Mycroft found it very endearing.

Mary and Joseph helped them both into their coats and Mycroft offered Molly his arm.

"I do."

_Yes, I know you all know where this is going, but I really wonna try it. Sherlock will return until then, these two will be on their own. Anyway, the end of this chapter was a little too stereotype, I know. Forgive me. In the next chapter, we will have Molly on her own or not so much. Stay tuned! Murmeltierchen :-)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello all you wonderful people! Thanks for all the reviews. I loved them._

_I hope you guys have a lovely time. Sorry for not writing sooner._

_This chapter will contain some alone time for Molly and a big revelation, so stay tuned!_

* * *

><p>The evening went over well. They arrived precisely at eight at a small exhibition hall on the outskirts of London. The doors of the car were opened and a hand was held out for Molly to climb out. A nice young man greeted her and she returned the favor.<p>

Mycroft held his arm out for her and they made their way up the stairs.

A young woman in a tight fitting red dress was standing behind the desk by the door. She greeted them with a full blown smile flashing a lot of polished white teeth.

She handed them a catalog with the paintings which were displayed to the public and they walked into a huge room full of people in fancy clothes, wearing expensive jewelry.

`My god. Mary was right. I never could have come here if it hadn`t been for the dress.´ Molly held Mycrofts arm a little tighter and he smiled at her reassuringly.

He lead her around a group of four or five men, wearing three piece suits to look at the first painting. It was a beautiful work showing a young woman, almost naked but covering herself with a white bed sheet.

"Modigliani." Mycroft said and Molly tried to remember that.

"It`s beautiful. The colors are so much more alive than in those old masters." She pointed to a portrait of two young men standing very straight and looking down at the visitors with vanity on their faces. The colors had faded or had never been there. In a couple of years it would not be possible to see their expressions anymore.

"That`s quite right. May I show you my favorite?" Mycroft looked down at her.

"Oh yes of course. That would be nice."

He lead her over to the other side of the room where a smaller picture was hanging.

There it was. A young girl with her hair half up half down, fanning out over her shoulders. She was wearing a white dress whose stile indicated the late 19th century. The hair had the same color as Molly`s in fact she could be a younger version of Molly.

"I think this is a perfect picture of innocence. Look at the way her hair is lying on her back and shoulders. And that white bow on top of her head. It amazes me how small she seams to be." He spoke very softly as if he had forgotten that she was there. She found the picture to be a very cute one, but liked the one next to it a bit better. It showed a tall, good looking young woman in a white dress with black long gloves.

`Giovanni Boldini – Portrait of a Lady´ said the label next to it.

Molly wasn`t able to look away. The woman had a magnetic stare that captured her full attention. Her waist was tiny and a black feather pendent was hanging from it. In her left hand was a matching fan. It was a great work of art.

"I see that this young female has caught your eye." Mycroft had been talking for a while and she apologized for not paying attention.

"I understand why. It is a capturing work." He stepped up to it so they were almost face to face with the woman on the painting and just stared at her.

"Yes." He finished and then turned to her.

"Shall we look at the other pictures?"

They looked at them all, both giving their opinions and the time went past. It was almost ten when finally cocktails were served.

"What would you like, my dear." Molly noticed the endearment but didn`t object to it. She suspected that he hadn`t noticed it himself.

"Something with fruit in it. I don`t like all-booze drinks."

He handed her an orange cocktail which had a nice sweet flavor to it and didn`t hit her in the head at the first sip. She liked that a lot.

He helped himself to a big shot of scotch from the tray of a passing waiter.

"I have to complement you Molly, there is not one man in this room who hasn`t looked at you and wondered who you are. Even the two gay men in the corner to my right have been talking about how well this dress looks on you." He took a sip and left her looking around the room.

"How did you know about that?" She whispered. "Oh, never mind. You read lips, isn`t that so?"

"Yes that is accurate." His gaze was wandering around the room. There was an elegant business woman, her hair up into an elegant bun, who had been giving him looks all the time and now she was walking towards them. Mycroft knew her. She worked at one of the many law firms his division had had business with. But he had no intention of talking to the woman.

"Molly, would you mind stepping a little closer to me?" He asked and her head turned to him.

"No, of course not." She stammered.

"Now, please." She turned away from the crowd and moved so their bodies were only inches apart and she was looking directly into his dark blue eyes.

"Can you tell me why?"

"There is a woman, whom I had no intention of speaking to. If she thinks that we are here together like a normal couple, I hope she will not attempt conversation."

Molly frowned. "Alright."

Mycroft used his peripheral vision to follow the woman's movements as she passed by.

"Thank you Molly. That was most kind." He focused his sight onto her again and noticed again how very good she looked. The shy person was actually not in the room, instead there was a Molly wearing a tight fitting dress and high heels, who seemed to be at ease with her body.

"Mycroft, I wanted to thank you for putting up with me for so long. I will leave tomorrow and go back to London. I can`t stay away from work for much longer. People don`t just stop dying you know." She smiled a little and thanked god that this had not been as awkward as she thought it would.

"That is alright if you think it is best." He said and downed the rest of his scotch.

"Would you like to go home now?"

Molly had hoped he would ask that. Her feet were killing her.

"Yes, sure."

Joseph opened her side of the car and helped Molly to get out.

"Thank you, Joseph. As nice as these are looking, they are not very comfortable, I`m afraid." She smiled and he nodded.

"Would you like to have some brandy before you go to bed Sir?" The butler asked and she could hear Mycroft saying yes.

"Care to join me, Molly?"

"Yes, but no brandy for me. I should not mix a cocktail with other things."

He sat down in front of the fire and she took the other chair as usual. Before she tugged her legs under her she toed off her shoes and closed her eyes

"Heaven … I`m in heaven." she sighed.

"They look beautiful but they are not the healthiest." She heard him mutter.

"Yes." She agreed. Her head was lying on the back of the heavy chair and she was almost ready to fall asleep when she felt a hand grasping her ankle and massaging her aching feet.

"Ouch … ". She winced and opened her eyes.

He was sitting on the floor with his face turned to the fire staring straight into the flames while caressing her foot.

"That feels nice." She stated and closed her eyes again, leaving her feet to him.

He was good at what he did, but then again, when wasn`t he good at something?

She woke up when she felt her feet getting cold. But when her eyes opened she wasn`t lying in the leather chair in the library but in her own bed and after a closer inspection in her night clothes. Her feet were not under the warm cover, which was the reason why they were cold.

She looked around and saw Mary´s dress hanging over a chair and the shoes standing next to it. She must have fallen asleep when Mycroft had taken care of her feet.

`Did he carry me up here … and change me? Oh god, please not!´ A look at her watch told her that it was only half past seven in the morning so she laid back down and tried to remember the evening before. He really was a nice man, if he wasn`t behaving like a machine. He was Sherlock`s brother which meant that whatever emotional disfunction Sherlock had, Mycroft probably possessed too.

She turned her head into Sherlock´s pillow. It had stopped to smell like him some days ago but she liked to imagine it still did. She wondered where he was now, if he was save and if Mycroft really did not know anything about his disappearance.

At nine o´clock she got up and quickly changed into her normal clothes before going downstairs.

She found him sitting at the table, reading the paper while drinking tea.

"Good morning." She said quietly and sat down next to him, where she had insisted on sitting so they wouldn`t have to shout across the room.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"Yes, thank you. I must have fallen asleep while you were taking care of my feet, I apologize." She drank from her own cup and continued.

"Did you carry me up stairs and … well … put my night clothes on?" She did not dare to look at him for more than one brief second and saw him looking back at her.

"I carried you into your room, but I wouldn`t dare to touch you in an inappropriate way. I called for Mary and she took care of you." He put down the paper and began to eat his eggs in an alarming pace.

"When will you leave today?" He asked between bites.

"Around three I think. It`s Monday tomorrow and I have a bit of catching up to do."

He nodded. "I`ll send Nigel with the car for you."

"That is very nice of you, thank you."

They finished breakfast in silence and soon Mycroft rose from his seat and walked out into the hall.

Molly heard him talking to Joseph and his coat rustling and went to say good bye.

"My dear, it was nice to have another human being in this house who isn`t constantly trying to blow things up or use one of the dogs for his experiments. Thank you for your company." Mycroft took her hand into his and then closed the second one around them. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I have to thank you for taking up with me, if only it was because Sherlock left you no choice."

"It wasn`t just for my brothers sake. I think you are a smart young woman and you should believe me if I tell you that my brothers taste has never been better." He gave her a half smile and extricated his hand from her, but not without giving her a last squeeze.

"Good bye."

"Bye."

And then he was gone and Molly turned to help clean up the dishes.

After that she went up to sort her things and went for a last walk with the dogs. She walked and walked and walked and never reached an end to the park and finally turned back because it was nearly time for lunch. This time she asked if Mary and Joseph would join her and to her surprise even Joseph agreed.

"I have never seen Mr. Mycroft in a better mood than the last couple of days and I know him his entire life. He only was happy when he still went to school. When he was away from here." The butler told them.

"Has he never had a relationship of some kind?" Molly dared to ask.

"Not to my knowledge. If he had, he never brought the lady here." He ended this topic.

"My first year here, I thought I saw him with lip stick on his collar but I never saw the shirt he wore. He either washed it himself or burned it." Mary finished her meal and sat back.

"Well, he is a curious man." Molly stated.

It was half past two and Molly excused herself and went up to her room. She put Mary´s dress back into the bag and cleaned the shoes off the dust that had settled onto them.  
>She turned back to the room and spotted her hairbrush still lying on the vanity and quickly put it into her suitcase.<p>

`Well, that`s it I guess.´ she thought and grabbed her coat and the suitcase.

When she reached the stairs, Joseph was already waiting for her and took the bag out of her hand.

"This is much too heavy for a young woman, Miss."

"Thank you very much, Joseph." She followed him downstairs and found Mary standing by the door holding a plastic bag in her hands. Handing it over, she said:

"I packed you something for dinner. I hope you`ll like it."

"That is just so sweet of you. I haven`t eaten anything you cooked and it didn`t taste delicious!"

"You make me blush Molly!" They started to giggle again and only the arrival of the car and Josephs bellowed "Here we are Miss Molly." were able to brake them up.

"Ok. I hope you won`t mind, but I am going to hug you." said Molly and leaned forward to embrace the slightly taller woman.

"Oh … , well that is alright with me." They hugged and finally parted.

"Take good care of yourself Molly. Good bye."

"You too, Mary. And take care of Mycroft. I think he is working too much. Good bye."

In the car, Molly leaned back and watched as the trees of the Holmes estate slowly faded away and the concrete of London took over her view.

This was it. Back to life. Back to Bart´s and back to being alone. Sherlock was gone, gone to where she couldn`t follow and her picture of a nice quite life with him was finally erased for ever.

As the car pulled up to her front door she managed to get some good spirit into herself by realizing that at least now she could get her cat back from her neighbor.

That night she curled herself around her pillow and Toby, her cat, slept on her feet. She dreamed of Sherlock and Mycroft and Mary and the dogs and somewhere in there was also Joseph. But mostly she dreamed of Sherlock. He was sitting on her sofa, typing on that laptop of his and then he was caressing her neck very softly. When things started to get a little more heated she woke up because it wasn´t Sherlock who was licking her throat. It was Toby, who was telling her to wake up.

And he was right. Her alarm clock showed it was ten minutes past six.

Very slowly, she extricated herself from the warm nest and her beautiful memories.

After a long hot shower, Molly made herself some very old toast that tasted not much better than an old piece of carton but there was nothing else to eat. With a cup of tea it went down much better and soon she was ready to go to work.

After lying to her boss again she made her way to the morgue and went to work.

Half way through her third autopsy she had to sit down and catch her breath. She had been working at an impossible race. Her head felt a little heavy and her feet were hurting.

She diagnosed herself and came up with a mild case of cold.

`OK. So I´m just gonna get myself a cup of tea and slow down.´

That was exactly what she did and finished another three autopsies before the day was done.

Three weeks went by without anything happening. Molly worked and went home and met a friend from college who already had two children and was happy. And Molly, well Molly worked and went home. About four weeks after leaving the Holmes estate, Molly got a call from Mary who was checking on her. She did not say that Mycroft wanted to know how she was but by the way the elder woman asked, she just knew that he had asked her to call Molly.

"I`m fine. Maybe a little lonely, now that Sherlock is gone, but there is always my cat Toby. He has these wonderful big eyes that seem so intelligent. But how are you all?"

"Oh we are fine. The dogs sure miss you. And nobody is helping me to clear the table." Molly could hear her smile and smiled too.

"Well, tell Mycroft that I said he could do it, too. It doesn`t hurt him." Now they were laughing together again.

When Mary had caught her breath she said: "Mr. Mycroft has been very quiet since you left. He hardly speaks to us. Only Joseph can get a couple of words out of him." She sighed.

"Do you like him?" Molly asked.

"Who?"

"Mycroft."

"Oh, yes of course. He is a fine gentlemen and friendly to all the employees. I have never heard him say a bad word to any of us."

"No. Mary, I mean is he dear to you?"

"Oh! Errr … he isn´t really my type. I like men who are a little more … active. Do you understand what I mean?"

Molly smiled.

"Yes, I do. You like men trained and fit. I can see what the upside of that is." They started into a long fit of laughing.

"Molly, I have to go and prepare dinner. But I hope to hear from you soon. Call me if you can."

"Thank you for calling me! It was very nice of you. Give Mycroft my best wishes. Have a nice evening. Bye."

Molly slept better that night only Toby disturbed her around four in the morning. She missed the nice room in Holmes manor. Those soft cotton sheets and the big bathtub. She sat up on her bed and suddenly the room started to spin. Her head hurt like hell and her stomach did a big bounce and then Molly ran for the toilet.

It took her half an hour to lose the contents of her stomach. Her head was resting against the cool surface of the toilet while she ran a list of all the things she had eaten the night before. Nothing out of the ordinary and nothing that could have been rotten. `Oh great I have the flu.´ She cursed and tried to get up from the cold floor. She knew that she had to get fluids into her body and get back to bed. Her knees felt week but she made it to the kitchen and even got the tea done before she collapsed on her sofa. The bed seemed out of reach.

`Okay. I`m just gonna lie down here for a moment until it gets better.´ She rested against the soft cushions and drank her tea. She eventually fell asleep again and only woke up when her alarm went off. Amazingly she was able to stand up and walk to her bedroom without any problems. No headache and no more spinning rooms.

`Thank god. Probably only a bug that´s gone by now.´

She made it to work okay and had an ordinary day. Around the end of her shift a newly deceased homeless man was wheeled in and when opening the body bag, Molly could do nothing but run for the toilet. The smell had overwhelmed her senses. The old sweat combined with liquor and death was just too much for her rebelling stomach.

She splashed some water into her face and got back to work. Instead of wearing nothing she put on a mask this time. No need to breath in this stuff, she thought and finished the autopsy as she would normally do.

The next morning started with the same procedure as the day before. Headache, puking, drinking tea and getting to work just fine.

This went on for almost five days before Molly decided that she didn`t want to continue like this. She wanted to know what was wrong with her. Her skin had turned much paler and she was tired on most of the days.

Her doctor checked her thoroughly and even took blood. The elderly man with his white mustache looked at her charts and was about to declare her fit as a fiddle when he noticed her hormone level.

"Well, Miss Hooper, I think congratulations are in order." He beamed at her over the top of his reading glasses.

"What? But my birthday is another three months away, why are you congratulating me now?" Molly stared at him as if he had gone mad.

"Miss Hooper, what I am telling you is that you are expecting a child." He grinned and waited to hear her cheer in joy, but nothing came from the small woman in his chair.

She had gone white as a sheet and her hands were shaking. Her eyes were wide in shock.

"Miss Hooper, are you alright? Can I get you a glass of water?" His voice sounded concerned.

"Oh, … No. Thank you doctor. I … I … don´t know what to say." She took a deep breath and continued. "I certainly wasn´t expecting this. I thought it was the flu. But this … . Oh my god. I´m having a baby." A small smile spread across her face but was wiped away by a sad frown.

"Forgive me, but I hope you are not thinking about not having this child."

"Oh no. God, no. I … I will keep it." Molly put a hand over her stomach protectively and shook her head.

She would never give up her child. It was a part of her and a part of Sherlock. Which was a more significant fact. She would be alone with this baby, because he had gone to keep his friends save and left her in the care of his brother. `Mycroft´, she thought. What would he say?

Her string of thoughts were interrupted when the doctor started to talk to her.

" … to see an OB/GYN. There is one next door, a lovely young lady who has brought more babies into this world than she can count. Just ask for an appointment and we´ll see."

"Thank you doctor."

They shook hands and Molly left.

She stopped on the door to the practice of a doctor Coleman. Claire Coleman. Okay, she thought, let´s do this. She got an appointment for two days later and loved the interior of the little practice. It was all in bright and shiny colors and made her feel at home. Also the nurses were friendly and seemed to care only for her needs. This was a good place.

For the next two days Molly was so protective of her stomach, everywhere she went she had a coat or jacket over the part where the baby was and she placed her hand there every ten minutes.

`I´m pregnant. I´m pregnant and it´s Sherlock´s baby. Oh god. It´s gonna be super intelligent!´ She smiled to herself. She tried to eat a little healthier, less fast food and more vegetables. The only thing she couldn`t stop eating was sweets. She always carried a chocolate bar around with her.

Molly somehow felt happy. A baby would give her life a new meaning, a new purpose.

The appointment came and went by very smoothly. She was on time and the friendly nurses ushered her into the examination room.

"Doctor Coleman will be with you in a second. Please take off your pants and underwear behind the curtain and take a seat on the chair."

Left alone, Molly did as she was told. She knew the procedure but felt a little uneasy every time.

She sat down in the chair and waited. It only took two or three minutes before the doctor came into the room. She was a short middle aged woman with fine dark hair, which was cut short. She smiled in a very reassuring way that made Molly feel less uneasy and she returned the smile.

"Hello Miss Hooper, how are you today? From what I´ve heard you are expecting a little something in a couple of months." She sat down before Molly and they shook hands.

"Oh, I´m fine, thank you. Yes, I hope it is true. I have only been told two days ago. I am still in awe of the whole thing."

"Well, let´s see what we have so you can be sure."

She put Molly´s feet into the holders and picked up the ultrasound wand.

"This is going to be a bit cold, but I am gonna be very gentle."

"Alright."

After one or two minutes Doctor Coleman had found the right position for the wand and turned the screen around.

"Molly, see this little bubble like shape there? That is called the gestational sac. I can even see a heartbeat." She switched a couple of buttons and the picture changed. A steady beating sound filled the room.

"That is a very good sign, isn`t it? I mean, I´m a pathologist and in my job no heartbeat always means not good." Molly smiled brightly.

"Oh no, don´t worry. It is all perfectly well. We will do another ultrasound next week." She removed the wand and then looked at Molly who was biting at her lower lip. She gently patted her knee.

"Don´t worry. It´s gonna be alright."

"Is there anything I shouldn´t do? Or eat?" Molly sat up and put her feet back on the floor.

"Don´t do any heavy lifting and eat vegetables that contain iron. Like spinach. Do you want a print of the ultrasound? It is very early, but I think you will be fine."

She handed Molly the small picture and shook her hand.

"Then I´ll see you next week, Miss Hooper. Until then stay calm."

"Thank you very much doctor." She looked at the black and white print in her hand.

After she had left the office of Doctor Coleman Molly was going to go home but stopped at a store for baby and children´s cloths. It was beautiful with a decorated window and the light was shining warmly into Molly´s face. She opened the door and was surrounded by baby stuff. It smelled of powder and warmth. She walked over to a section where clothes for newborn hung from the walls and was overwhelmed by a thousand different articles and colors. Pink overalls, blue trousers, green shirts and yellow hats. I all looked too tiny to belong to a human being. She grabbed one of the rompers from a hook and turned it around and around in her hand. It was beautiful. All white with a picture of the London skyline in the front. It was neutral in it´s color and she thought about buying it. `How can I buy stuff for a baby that might not even exist? It´s so cute. Well, if there is no baby yet, there will be one.´ She took the romper to the check out and bought the small item.

When she arrived at her flat, she made herself a hot cup of tea and sat on her sofa to examine the romper. It wasn´t all white, it was more of a cream color and the skyline of London was painted in a dark gray onto it. It was stylish in a way. It reminded her of Sherlock. He was part of London and London was a part of him. So why not put his child in something that would remind her of him.

She sipped her tea and sat back to rest her head on a cushion that was laying behind her.

`A baby. My baby. I´m pregnant.´

The week went by slowly. Molly looked at her calender every morning, calculating how long she had to wait until she could see for sure that she was pregnant and it wasn´t just a dream. Sometimes she counted the hours. 53 hours and 13 seconds... . She started to annoy herself and stopped it.

Then it was finally time for her next exam. She was almost half an hour early but that seemed to be alright with the nurses who took care of her.

Doctor Coleman was perfectly friendly like the last time.

"Hello, Miss Hooper. Okay, let´s find out how the little one is in there." She placed the wand like the last time and switched a couple of buttons on and off.

"Yes. There it is. We have a heartbeat." She said and a smile formed on her friendly face.

Molly, who had held her breath puffed out all her air and gasped loudly.

"Really?" She squealed and tried to look at the screen.

"Wait, I´ll turn it for you." Once Molly could see, Doctor Coleman pointed at a little pulsing point. "See, there that is your baby`s heart. Now wait. Maybe I can … ." She pushed down a button and turned a knob. There was the faint sound, like a drum that was beaten only very lightly and Molly knew what it was.

"Hear that? There is definitely life. Okay, from what little I can see here, the fetus is about seven weeks old now. It is still very early, but given the fact that you are healthy I think you are going to be fine. You can already see the form of the body." Molly still heard nothing but the heartbeat of her child and stared at the little oval thing that had no real form but somehow looked strangely human.

"I take it from your face that you are happy about it." Molly nodded and took a deep breath.

"Very happy."

"Well, you should go home now and tell the lucky father about this. I´m sure he will share your happiness." Doctor looked at her and smiled while printing another photo for Molly.

"The father is … he is … dead. The baby is all I have left." Molly said quietly while getting up from the examination chair.

"Oh, I´m so sorry to hear that." The doctor placed a warm hand on Molly´s shoulder and they shared a sad smile.

"Well, then you go home and enjoy your happiness. Have a nice tea and maybe a warm shower. I wouldn´t recommend a bath. Wait with that another three weeks if you can. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you doctor."

"See you in three weeks, Molly."

Molly left the office of Doctor Coleman and walked through London on a friendly day. She was glad that there was a baby, her very own baby and she felt a warm spark low in her belly. She placed her hand there and walked home.

The morning sickness continued but Molly soon established a way to not throw up all of her stomachs contents. She had a bit of ginger ale on her night stand and drank a sip before she tried to sit up every morning and on two of three days that did the trick.

One night after a long shift, two days after her nine weeks examination a car pulled to a hold next to her flat when she came home one day.

"Miss Hooper!" A familiar voice called and she turned around to see Stanley, Mycrofts driver, walk around the car and towards her.

"Stanley, how are you? Is Mycroft in there? Isn´t he coming out?" She looked at the dark windows of the black limousine.

"No, Miss Hooper, he is not with me but Mister Holmes has send me to ask you to come and visit him in Holmes Manor. He would be very pleased if you agree to come."

"Why doesn´t he just call me? I would have come any time." She followed Stanley to the car and slid into the backseat.

"Miss, I never have an idea what the Master thinks. But he was very keen to see you."

"Well, let´s not keep him waiting."

After the long drive to Holmes Manor, Molly was greeted by Joseph who opened the door for her to climb out of the car.

"Hello Joseph, it´s so good to see you again."

"Welcome back Miss Molly. Mister Mycroft is expecting you in the library." He led her across to the oak door and took her coat and hand bag from her.

"Just go right in Miss." Joseph gestured toward the big door on the left which Molly had walked through often before.

She knocked and stepped in. It was warm inside. The fireplace was lit by orange flames and Mycroft was standing right in front of it with his back to her.

"Hello Mycroft." She said and stepped towards him. He turned and she saw how his face lit up when he recognized her.

"Molly, how nice of you to come." He took her offered hand and held it a little longer than was necessary.

"You could have just called and I would not have said no, you know." She smiled up at him.

His lips formed one of his thin smiles and he said: "I´m not used to people doing what I ask them to do. Most of the time I have to order them."

"Well, in that case thank you for giving me the chance to decline." She said and saw his mouth twitch from suppressed laughter.

"Why don´t we sit. I have some questions to ask you Molly and there will eventually be tea to drink once I order it."

They sat in their usual big leather chairs and Mycroft clasped his hands together in his lap.

"Nine weeks?" He simply asked.

"And two days." She added and smiled shyly.

"I`m guessing that you are happy with the situation?"

"Yes, I am. Very happy."

Mycroft steepled his fingers together.

"Am I under surveillance?" She asked and her brow furrowed.

"Let`s just say that I was worried about you. You live alone and your family doesn`t reside close by, so I took the liberty of ensuring that you were well." He finished.

"You could have just called, you know? It`s not something that anyone would find weird." She extended her feet towards the fire and relaxed some more into her chair.

"Yes, but would you have told me about this pregnancy?"

"Yes, I would have." She said and smiled at him.

"Then I must apologize. I am not used to anyone telling me the truth." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, rubbing his hands over his legs.

"Mycroft, I hope you will be a part of this baby's life."

"If you wish so, then I shall be and I would like to discuss a few things about the next months."

He raised his eyebrows in question and waited for her to agree.

"Oh, yes of course."

"Well, I would like to ask you to stay here, at Holmes Manor, for the duration of your pregnancy. That way you would not have to worry about keeping up a household and doing heavy lifting. After the child is borne you could move to a more suitable flat with an elevator and entrance to a garden."

He finished and waited for her to answer. Molly was biting down on her nails again, considering what she ought to do about his offer. It was certainly kind and thoughtful but –

"How would I get to work? It`s quite a long way from here to Bart`s."

"I would certainly provide for a second driver who could take you in one of the other cars."

"You have more cars than that big black one?"

"I have about five of the big black one." He answered and smiled thinly.

"Well it seems that you already thought about everything. But I want to be able to come and go as I please." She would not give up her life and her connection to Sherlock`s friends just because she was locked away under Mycroft`s care.

"Of course. I want you to." He stood and walked over to a tray with two bottles of scotch. He filled one glass with it and then picked a bottle with water from a shelf to pour Molly a glass of it.

He brought it over to her and they sat and sipped in silence.

"I also would like to ask you to marry me."

BANG!

Molly`s glass had just hit the floor.

Wide eyed she was trying to say something but her mouth opened and closed without making any noise.

"Please forgive me," Mycroft hurried to pick up the glass and dap the water with his cotton handkerchief, "I thought this was the appropriate time to ask this, but I see I was wrong."

While he was busy kneeling on the floor, she was trying to understand what he had said.

Marry? Him? No! No, no, no, no! What about Sherlock? But still – "Why?" She blurted out.

He stopped what he was doing and dropped the sopping wet handkerchief onto the tray holding the scotch.  
>He sat down in his chair and looked at her, really looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.<p>

"Well, I am a wealthy man, as you have probably grasped from this house and all the things that are in it. When I die, I will have no children to inherit all this and the money that goes with it. If you were to marry me, I would adopt your child, which will then become legally my child as well and would inherit everything that is mine. But of course, it would still be Sherlock`s child and he could see it whenever he liked. Anyway, I think it would be in my brother's interest to secure your position and give you the best possible care during your pregnancy."

He had talked quite a long time and suddenly Molly understood why Sherlock was not on good terms with his brother. He was a smug bastard and he **was** right with **everything** he said and he **knew** it.

"Did you ask Sherlock what he has to say about this? I mean, is he alright with my marrying another man and …."

"I have had no contact with my brother but I always have his best interests in mind, I can assure you. I`m not proposing this as a way to get back at my brother in this childish fete of his. This is merely a way to secure the future of this family and you."

"Can I have time to think about this? I understand why you would think this is a good thing for everybody, but I need to come clear with my … feelings towards Sherlock first. And also, what if either one of us wants out of this marriage because they have found the person they love. What if Sherlock comes back?" She knew, that was the only question that she wanted an answer to.

"If either of us wants out of the marriage, then there will be an immediate divorce, no question about it. And you may have as much time to think about it as you wish, but I do need an answer before you start your second trimester. That way we can still tell everybody that it is my child."

He looked at the flames that had grown smaller and were now radiating less heat than before.

"I need to go home now. My shift starts in another seven hours and I need a good night's sleep to think about all this. Is it alright with you if I called and told you my decision in a week?"

"Yes, that is quite proper." He stood and they shook hands. Molly left after a quick goodbye.

Mycroft was left alone. He had moved closer to the last flames in the fireplace, contemplating about the future. He knew, that if there was to be a marriage, it would be in name only. But still he hoped, that they would grow to like each other despite the fact, that he was to be held responsible for Sherlock`s need to disappear.


End file.
